


Sovereign

by sarabethloves



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Mild Language, Sexual Situations, mild violence, multi-chapter, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 20:03:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 121,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12261153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarabethloves/pseuds/sarabethloves
Summary: Planning a wedding is never easy, but planning a wedding between a stubborn princess and her golden-haired knight while also trying to defeat the mysterious Republic group, and form a trade treaty with the nation of Xing, and figure out what she wants for her own future has Queen Riza nearly going insane. Sequel to Reign. Royal AU. Equal parts Edwin and Royai.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by Mica aka thesilentwatcher on tumblr https://thesilentwatcher.tumblr.com/tagged/mica-draws

The King of Amestris lounged atop the dewy grass of the palace gardens, taking in the much appreciated summer air. After a lengthy winter and a much too short spring, the beauty of the Amestrian lands was finally coming to fruition as the days grew hotter and the sun hung over the kingdom longer. The king was grateful for the pleasant weather. It wasn't often he got to spend his days outside relaxing in the sun and he was prepared to take full advantage.

A content smile graced his face as he watched his young daughter happily approach where he lay out on the grass. He sat up to welcome her as he noticed her hands practically full of her usual flower creations.

"What do you think of these, Papa?" she questioned eagerly as she meticulously arranged all her crafts out before him.

"They're all beautiful, love. You get better and better as the days go on."

Instead of being happy at his praise, the Amestrian princess's eyes narrowed suspiciously in an all too familiar expression. "Lady Helena says you're good at sweet talking the ladies. How can I be sure you're telling the truth?"

The king's face scrunched up in annoyance at that particular jab. "Is that what Helena is teaching you nowadays? How not to trust your father? Come here, you!" He spoke teasingly as he reached for his daughter, who happily giggled and squealed upon being captured and brought to sit in her father's lap, his arms wrapping around her protectively.

"I'll prove to you I'm not lying, then, if that's what you want. Here, this one looks as though it was crafted by the hands of an angel. This one here is too beautiful for even a goddess and, ah, this one could use some work."

"Papa!" Margaret exclaimed, even though she knew he was only joking.

The king laughed. "Alright, alright, it's the prettiest of them all," he said fondly as he placed a loving kiss atop his daughter's head.

A twinkle appeared in the young girl's eyes as she reached for another creation, one she had taken extra care with. "What about this one?"

"Hmm," Roy spoke as he took the flower crown from Margaret and observed it from all sides. "It's unique. I've never seen you use these types of flowers before."

"Do you like it?" she asked, with a hopeful inflection in her voice.

"No, I don't like it," he begun, causing Margaret's face to fall before he snuggled her closer to himself and continued. "I  _love_ it."

This earned him another giggle and a content smile from the little princess. She took the crown back from her father and admired her own handiwork. "Good, because I'm planning on making one just like it for Queen Riza when she comes back."

At the princess's words, a soft smile graced the king's face and his eyes took on a faraway look. "I think she'll love it," he spoke fondly.

"Me too." There was silence between the father/daughter pair as they sat together in the middle of the beautiful palace gardens before Margaret spoke up in a small voice. "Hey, Papa?"

"Yes, love?"

"When  _is_ Queen Riza coming back?"

Roy couldn't help but let out a long sigh at his daughter's question. It wasn't the first time in the past six months that she'd asked him that and he knew it wouldn't be the last. "Margaret," he began in an admonishing tone. "We've talked about this before. Queen Riza will return when she's ready to. She has a very important job, and she needs to be with her people in Aerugo."

"I know," the princess spoke in a sad tone that tugged at Roy's heart in ways he couldn't put into words. "I just miss her."

Roy couldn't help but smile at this, as he hugged his little girl closer to himself. "I know, Margaret. I do too."

"Your Majesty! A letter just came for you," Sir Breda spoke in an excited voice as he rushed out into the gardens. Roy watched him approach with a curious eye, and took the offered piece of parchment.

"Is it an important one? This is  _supposed_  to be my time off," the king asked with a pointed stare, even though he opened it up expectantly, his arms still around his daughter.

Breda flashed a familiar smirk. "I think it's one you'll appreciate."

And, sure enough, as Roy's eyes read down the page, they promptly widened and a thrilled spark ran through him. He looked back to his friend and court member with a smile. "Well, what do you know, I do appreciate this quite a bit. Go get Havoc, Falman, and Fuery. We have some preparations that need to be made."

"Right away, Your Majesty," Breda answered with a dutiful bow before he rushed off to follow his leader's orders.

Roy turned back to his curious little girl and kissed her on the side of the head. With an apologetic smile, he brought her down from off his lap and made to stand up. "Sorry, Margaret, but it seems I have some important business to settle. We'll have to cut our time together short."

The little princess let out a groan of disappointment. "But why, Papa? We just started playing."

"I know, love, but I think you'll appreciate my going away this time," Roy spoke with an excited smile as he leaned down on one knee to look his young daughter in the eye. "We've just gotten the okay to invite over all of your friends, along with some new ones. And, I think if you ask really nicely, Riza and Winry will make a visit as well."

Immediately the young girl's eyes lit up at her father's words. "Really? They're finally going to get to come back?"

Roy laughed joyously at her enthusiasm. "Yes, it seems so. We have to ask them first, though. Do you want to come with me to write the letter?"

Quickly, the child nodded her head and grabbed her father's hand, pulling him up to stand and dragging him back toward the castle. He laughed continuously as she did this, a weight lifting off shoulders when he thought about the excitement sure to come in the following weeks.

Finally, he would be reunited with his queen.

* * *

"Your morning mail has arrived, cousin," Lord Matthew announced as he walked into Riza's private study, a pile of letters in his hands.

"And you've inspected them?" the queen asked, her eyes not straying from the budget reports she was thoroughly engrossed with.

"Of course," Matthew dutifully replied as he began the usual routine. "One from Commander Armstrong in the north, that should be a normal report, one from a Lady Gracia Hughes, I believe you were expecting more news about the child, one from your archery master, probably wondering when your next practice session will be and...ah, one from the King of Amestris."

Riza's eyes, which had been glued to her papers while Matthew named off each successive sender, immediately widened and met his the second the last words had left his mouth. Matthew knew it was coming, and couldn't help the small smirk at the sight of her. Really, if she was trying to keep her blooming relationship with the Amestrian king a secret for the time being, she was doing a rather poor job at making her expressions seem neutral.

"Here you are," he spoke in a self-assured voice as he dropped the pile of letters atop her desk. "All ready for you to read, though I have a strong suspicion of which one you'll go for first."

Realizing that she had been caught seeming too eager, the queen narrowed her eyes at her cousin, which only caused his seemingly ever-present smirk to widen. "You may leave now," she directed coldly, though she knew Matthew could see her irritation for what it was.

And, as expected, he merely shook his head and bid her a good rest of her day before he was out the door, finally leaving her to the letters. Not wanting to give her cousin the satisfaction of knowing he was right, she looked through the other messages that had been sent first (as much as it pained her) and saved Roy's for last.

Once she had finally gotten to it, she inspected the seal with a familiar fondness. The pressed seal holding the parchment together was the same one that hung from around her neck. Absentmindedly, her fingers rested against where she knew the necklace lay beneath the high collar of her dress. She stood from her desk, walked to the open balcony doors, and stepped into the refreshing air of the crisp, summer morning.

Sitting in one of the chairs set out on her balcony, Riza tried to relax herself, even though she knew it was futile to abate her anticipation, before she broke the seal and quickly perused through Roy's familiar scrawl.

The further down the paper she read, the wider her eyes became, and the more excitement she felt. She had been anticipating this for awhile, given that Roy had not left out a single detail of his plans in his previous letters, which, unlike poor Winry, she received quite often. Still, the fact that the time had finally come to put his plans into motion filled Riza with a feeling unlike any other.

Moving quickly back into her study, she rushed through the room and nearly threw open the door in an effort to find the one she knew would be the first person who she should tell the good news.

Finally, she would be reunited with her king.

* * *

"Alright, what do you think, Mr. Gardner. I think I finally perfected my technique," Winry spoke proudly as she wiped her newly forged blade clean and the royal blacksmith came over to inspect her work.

"Wow, quite impressive, Your Highness. Your skill just gets better and better with each passing day," the older man complimented fondly.

Winry couldn't help the proud smile. "I still have a lot to learn, I'm sure, but I'm pretty pleased with how I've been doing lately."

"You should be. I'll make a talented blacksmith out of you yet."

Winry laughed at her master's statement and began tweaking a few of the last minute details of her sword. As she worked, she didn't notice the figure that came through the door of the castle's workshop, watching her intently.

Mr. Gardner, however, did, and nearly fell over once he recognized who had arrived at his humble shop. "Y-Your Majesty!" he exclaimed with an unrefined bow. "W-what brings you all the way down here?"

Winry turned wide eyes toward where her sister stood in the doorway, her pristine red and purple dress a rather jarring contrast to the grimy workshop and the princess's own casual work clothes.

"I came to see what my sister is always doing down here. You've never shown me any of the work you've completed," Riza spoke calmly, her eyes turning back toward her younger sibling.

"Well, that's because I haven't had anything worth showing yet. But, you did happen to come on a good day," Winry said slyly before reaching behind her to grab her newly crafted sword and presenting it to her sister.

Riza's eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful blade, and she took a step forward to inspect it closely. "Wow, Winry. This craftsmanship is marvelous," she spoke in an awe-filled voice.

"You think so?"

"Oh absolutely. You've learned how to do this much in such a short time?"

Winry nodded and turned a thankful glance toward her master, who simply winked back. "Yes, I have Mr. Gardner to thank for that. And you too, I suppose. If you hadn't suggested I come down here to try out a few things, I'd probably still be bored out of my mind every day."

Riza smiled fondly. "Good. I'm glad you found something you really enjoy."

A teasing look appeared on Winry's face. "Even if it isn't as refined as sewing or painting or all that other princess stuff?"

Riza returned the tease. "Yes, even so. I must admit, I had another reason for coming to visit you down here today."

"Oh?"

Riza smiled slyly and nodded her head. "Yes, I received a letter from the King of Amestris today."

Seeing that the royals were beginning to talk about more personal matters, Mr. Gardner made his way to the outdoor portion of the shop to check on some of his other projects, leaving the sisters alone.

"So?" Winry immediately responded. "You get letters from him all the time. And I'm not allowed to read most of them."

Riza nodded. "Yes, that is  _usually_  the case, but I think you'll have a particular interest in this one."

Winry noticed the twinkle in her sister's eyes as she produced the folded piece of parchment from behind her back and handed it to the princess. She took it warily, not having any idea what Riza was so smug about before she read aloud.

"'My Dearest Queen', oh how romantic. 'I just received word that our plans for the trade treaty have been approved by all involved parties.' Trade treaty?" Winry paused to ask.

"Keep reading," her sister directed.

"'The new trade route between Xing and Amestris, and subsequently Aerugo, will be a valuable asset to all our countries, and will encourage even more international solidarity' Goodness, does he sound like this in all your love letters?"

Here, Riza's eyes turned from amused to narrowed in anger. "Keep reading," the queen responded through gritted teeth.

Winry laughed and continued the letter. "'The Emperor of Xing is apparently quite enthusiastic about the plans and has agreed to make the journey to Amestris for the negotiations, and the subsequent celebrations. He is bringing a few members of his family, as well as his personal entourage, and they will stay in the castle for as long as they need to. Emperor Ling expresses his excitement in not only seeing the kingdom, but meeting everyone as well. I believe it will be quite a good time.'" Here Winry paused in her reading and turned curiously toward her sister. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

An exasperated sigh left the normally composed queen. "Gods, Winry, you're almost to the good part.  _Keep reading_ ," she insisted.

Turning reluctantly to the message that had turned out to be rather boring, the princess continued. "'As this is a matter of international affairs that involves not only my kingdom, but yours as well, your presence at the negotiation table will, of course, be wholly expected.'" Finally seeming to get where this was going, the princess's eyes widened and her voice took on an excited tone. "'The emperor is expected in three weeks' time and I would appreciate your presence here sooner, if at all possible. As this will be a time to celebrate and make new friends, Winry should also be encouraged to come and you both should consider staying for as long as you like. I look forward to seeing you both immensely.'" Turning her excited eyes toward her sister, she found the queen with a nearly bursting smile. "Are you serious?" she breathlessly asked. "We're going back to Amestris?"

Riza nodded her head and with an almost giddy voice answered, "Yes, we're going back to Amestris."

Letting loose a joyous laugh, Winry ran up to wrap her arms around her sister, not caring about the dirt all over her work clothes staining Riza's fine dress. And, she had a feeling given the enthusiasm with which her sister returned the gesture, that she didn't even care all that much.

Finally pulling back, the sisters exchanged meaningful looks before Winry let out another squeal of excitement. "I have to pack!" she exclaimed before she rushed to where Mr. Gardner was to inform him she would be leaving the shop early today. There was far too much work to be done to prepare for their journey.

And, though the wait nearly killed the overjoyed princess, three days later she and her sister were finally ready to embark for the country where they'd each left a piece of themselves behind. Matthew came to see them off, as well as a few other notable Aerugonian court members.

Walking up to the waiting carriages manned by the guards assigned to accompany them, Riza turned to her right-hand man. "You're sure you don't want to come with us? You could use a little bit of a break."

While Winry busily ran around making sure everyone was ready to go so she could finally get a handle on the immense impatience she was suffering from, Matthew smiled at his queen. "I appreciate you thinking of me, cousin, but I think I'm needed far more here than I would be at the negotiation table in Amestris. I'll leave that to you, O Sovereign Ruler."

Resisting the temptation to roll her eyes at his sarcasm she sighed and answered. "Alright then. I'll let Roy know you send your regards."

"Please do. And you, Your Highness, try not to die of excitement," Matthew posed to the almost vibrating princess as she mounted the carriage.

"I'll see what I can do, but I make no promises," Winry spoke joyfully before she sent her sister an impatient look and entered the carriage. Riza took one last glance at her majestic castle and breathed deeply. The last time she had set out for Amestris she had gone with fear and uncertainty of what she would find when she arrived. And, while there was still plenty of uncertainty this time, the feeling of hope for a new and exciting future was quite the contrast.

She leaned forward to hug her cousin goodbye and gave her sentiments to the rest of the people who had come to see them off. Stealing herself one last time, she gripped the handle to the side of the carriage and entered through the open door to sit at the seat opposite her sister. The carriage driver and guards took their places before the two sisters heard the distinctive snap of the horse whips and the carriage began to rumble out of the castle grounds.

Wringing her hands together, Winry took one last look at the receding view of the castle before turning toward her sister. "I can't believe we're finally going back!"

"Yes, I know, you've said that exact statement probably a hundred times in the last few days," Riza replied teasingly.

"I can't help it! I just can't wait to see everyone."

"See Ed, you mean?" Riza corrected with a smirk.

Winry rolled her eyes. "Well, of course, but I am ready to be reunited with everyone else too. And what about you? Don't try and tell me you aren't ready to see Roy again."

Taking the time to look wistfully out at the scenery slowly passing them by, Riza answered her sister, "Of course I'm ready to see him again, but that doesn't mean I still don't have to remain objective. This isn't a vacation, Winry, at least not for me. A matter of incredible international importance is to be discussed and I have to represent Aerugo well."

Winry couldn't help but sigh at this, putting aside her overwhelming excitement for just a moment. "There you again, making everything about your duty. Just admit that you can't wait to make out with the king and be done with it."

Riza shot a quick glare to her sister, who weathered it like a pro with a sly smile.

The carriage rolled along in silence after that, both sisters looking out the windows with equally convoluted thoughts, wondering just what would happen in Amestris this time around, considering what had happened the last time they were there.

After their party passed through the outer walls of the capital city and began the long, winding journey, Winry finally spoke up, breaking their calm silence.

"Riza, what if Ed proposes to me?" she asked suddenly, not taking her eyes off of the scenery outside their carriage.

Her sister turned toward her with questioning eyes. "What do you mean? Aren't you already engaged?"

"W-well, yeah, sort of. But what if he  _actually_ proposes. Like we set a date and start planning a wedding." Here Winry's eyes finally found her sister's again and she was surprised to see a sense of fondness in them.

"Then it will be as we always imagined it. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now?"

An indignant look passed across the princess's face. "Of course I'm not! I can't wait to marry him, it's just...I don't even know if I'm ready," she finished, her voice no louder than a whisper.

Riza's face took on a knowing expression at that. "I'm not entirely convinced anyone is completely ready for marriage, Winry. You and Edward love each other, that much is obvious. You're definitely of age. He has a steady position and would keep you safe, and you have lots of friends in Amestris. You'd be happy, I'm sure of it. What's the point of worrying about whether or not you're ready?"

Here Winry's eyes looked down at her lap. With a small voice, she asked, "So you're okay with it then? Me living in Amestris…you know...permanently."

Riza sighed. "It's not something I'm looking forward to. As happy as I am that you've found someone to spend the rest of your life with, I will always miss you. Not having you in Aerugo would be difficult, to be sure. Those few months we were apart were awful, but in the end it would be worth it. I can tell you won't truly be happy unless you're in Amestris. I've long since accepted that."

"You're sure?"

Riza smiled at her sister. "Yes, Winry, I'm sure."

Smiling back at her, Winry surprised the queen by reaching forward across the space of their carriage and wrapping Riza in a tight embrace.

"Thank you. You have no idea what your support means to me."

Leaning back to affectionately brush a strand of hair out of her sister's face, Riza responded, "You'll always have it. That much I can guarantee."

Locking themselves in one final embrace, the sisters lapsed back into silence and the hours of their journey rolled by. Typically the trip to Amestris took around three days, provided they stopped and camped once the sun went down. The anticipation of their final destination began to grow as each day passed them. Once they were only a few short hours from the capital city, Winry found she couldn't sit still for even a moment.

Her head leaned out the open window of the carriage, as she smelled the fresh Amestrian air and admired the passing green hills that were oh so blessedly familiar. Riza contented herself with reading the book she had been slowly getting through during their trip, but even she couldn't help the growing excitement.

She tried to remain calm for Winry's sake (it wouldn't be very fitting for both royal sisters to nearly lose their minds with the anticipation) but she couldn't help the thrill that would pass up and down her spine with each passing moment. She could almost recognize the green surrounding them now as the capital city lay just ahead. She had been picturing this day and the inevitable reunion with her king almost as soon as he and Ed had rode out of her castle gates. Now, the day had finally come.

"Look! There it is!" Riza's little sister suddenly exclaimed, startling the queen out of her thoughts. Setting down her book and leaning out the window like Winry had done, Riza could just catch the outline of the outer wall. As soon as her eyes found it, her stomach practically flipped, but she did her best to rein in any outward signs of excitement.

Winry, however, had no such restraint and chattered Riza's ear off the whole rest of the way there. The queen had to talk her down multiple times from calling up to their carriage driver to ask him to go faster.

Finally, blessedly, they approached the outer wall and were almost immediately let through. As the familiar sights of the Amestrian village fares passed by them, Winry nervously fidgeted with the crest necklace she hadn't taken off since it had been delicately placed around her neck. Nearly forgetting her own excitement for a moment, Riza fondly watched as her sister's eyes lit up the closer to the castle grounds they got. No matter what happened during this trip, Riza could be sure of at least one thing: experiencing Winry's happiness was unlike any other, and she would do whatever she could to keep it that way. Though, the queen thought with a fond smile, she figured that job would go to Ed as soon as they formally announced their inevitable engagement.

The carriage slowed as the castle walls came into view, and finally the princess sat back in her seat, taking deep, calming breaths to steady herself. Riza had to stop herself from laughing aloud at her.

"Calm down, Winry. We're finally here."

"I know," the princess spoke in a surprisingly steady voice. "I just want everything to be as good as I imagined."

Riza smiled. "I have a feeling it will be."

After speaking these words, both the sister's eyes widened when they felt the carriage come to a distinctive halt. Exchanging one last excited glance, they both waited for their driver to come and open their door.

Riza allowed Winry to exit first, needing just a moment to herself. As much as she liked to talk, she knew exactly what her sister meant. She too had hoped and dreamed of this day for so long that for it to be finally here was almost intimidating. She could practically feel Roy's arms wrapping around her in a welcoming hug and the thought nearly froze her. She shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts and regally exited the carriage.

Her eyes immediately found the group that had come to welcome them and she smiled fondly at the familiar faces. Ed was nearly front and center, his eyes wide as he watched Winry run toward him. He looked just as nervous as she knew Winry felt, but there was still an overwhelming sense of love practically rolling off of him. The sight of his princess coming to reunite with him was one Riza knew he wouldn't forget.

And, as Riza slowly approached the group, she watched as Winry nearly leaped into Ed's arms, and with a beaming smile on his face, he picked her up and spun her around. They both laughed joyously and the happiness was nearly infectious.

Just as everyone was fondly watching the pair reunite, Winry leaned back from Ed's embrace with a dazzling smile...before rearing back and punching him brutally in the arm.

Time nearly stopped as the air was sucked out of everyone's lungs. Riza watched as the golden knight let out a huff of pain and almost doubled over, grabbing his arm and heaving wheezing breaths.

Winry's joyfully happy expression had been replaced by one of anger. She placed her hands demandingly on her hips and watched as Ed turned incredulous eyes back to her.

"What the hell was that for?" Riza heard him say.

"For not writing to me, you jerk! You  _promised_ me you would and I got, what, maybe two letters from you over  _six months_!"

Riza had to try immensely hard not to roll her eyes at her sister. So that had bugged her more than she let on. It must have also infuriated the princess that Riza received letters from Roy quite frequently, while Ed had neglected that duty almost completely.

"I-I'm sorry, Win," Ed spoke, this time in a much more sheepish tone. "I tried...I really did. But you know I'm no good at putting what I mean into words."

Riza's sister, even after this explanation, didn't seem to be backing down. "Well you should at least have tried! You have more people to think about than yourself, you dummy. If I didn't have the king's reports to go off of, I would've thought something terrible had happened."

Finally standing to his full height as the pain of her initial punch began to fade, Ed looked apologetically at his almost-fiance. "I'm sorry, Win, really. I didn't know it would upset you this much."

The sincerity of his tone caused Winry to take a moment to think about his apology. She also seemed to remember that all of her Amestrian friends were watching the pair with wide eyes. Sheepishly turning her eyes to the ground, she crossed her arms and huffed out, "W-well, just promise you won't do it again."

Taking the pair's make-up as her cue to make her presence known, Riza stepped past where Ed was busily promising to never upset Winry ever again (even though the queen knew that would never happen) to greet her friends.

Rebecca was the first one she found as she wrapped her in a greeting hug. "Well!" the lady exclaimed. "You Aerugonians certainly know how to make an entrance."

This time Riza did allow herself a small roll of her eyes before she shook her head and laughed at the events that had just transpired with her friend. She found Helena next, who also gave her a fond hug before greeting some of the others who had come to welcome them. In the back of her mind, she realized that through the crowd of people, she hadn't yet spotted a distinctive mop of raven-black hair. She told herself that it didn't matter, and that it was probably for the better that they wouldn't reunite in front of everyone, but she couldn't help as her eyes searched for the man she had longed to see for the last six months.

Knowingly picking up on this, Helena asked, "Looking for someone, Your Majesty?"

Freezing in place once she realized she had been caught, the queen turned her eyes to the elder woman. Before she could even respond, Helena was smiling and beginning her explanation. "I'm afraid the king is currently away. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow, so he took the liberty to go off riding with Havoc and Breda."

Riza had to try really hard to squash all her inevitable disappointment at these words. "O-oh. I see," she spoke, attempting to keep her words calm.

She knew Helena could see right through it, of course. While she was sure a good portion of the Amestrians were completely unaware of how far Roy and Riza's relationship had gone, she knew Helena had to be privy to at least part of it. Roy wouldn't have been able to stop himself from telling her at least some of the details. He trusted her enough for it, and, if she thought about it, Riza did too.

"He should be back in a few hours, though, but I'm afraid you'll have to postpone your reunion," Helena spoke, her last words coming out in a much quieter voice, so as not to draw attention. Riza kept her head held high, all the same. She knew the reunion would be well worth the delay.

Before she could assure Helena that she was fine with this change of plans, she heard an excited voice squealing from the castle entrance behind them. She turned curious eyes to the doors and couldn't help the fond smile that passed across her face.

Little Princess Margaret, dressed in a small sleeping gown with a no doubt hastily thrown on cloak over it, ran down the steps, followed not long after by a frantic maid.

"Queen Riza!" the princess exclaimed as she ran to greet the Riza, who smiled and opened her arms, catching her in a tight embrace.

"Margaret," Helena spoke in a reprimanding tone as she watched the pair. "You're supposed to be taking your afternoon nap."

"But how can I do that with Queen Riza here," Margaret exclaimed indignantly, turning slightly in Riza's embrace to address her caretaker.

Riza could only laugh and pull the little girl in tighter as Helena shook her head, resigning herself to the change of plans.

"I missed you," Margaret told her, tugging on a foreign part of Riza's heart.

"And I you, Margaret. I hope you've been good while I've been away," she told the little girl, leaning down to be at eye level with her.

The princess enthusiastically nodded. "Yep! I've been really busy making new crowns. I have a bunch I want to show you."

"And I can't wait to see them. But first, I have something I want to show you," the queen spoke, a twinkle in her eye, as she motioned for one of her attendants to retrieve something from the carriage. She couldn't help but notice as Helena, Rebecca, and even Winry watched her curiously, wondering just what she had planned.

Margaret too looked confused, but her eyes lit up in excitement when the attendant produced an intricately designed wooden box and handed it to the queen. Taking it quickly and presenting it before the little princess, Riza spoke, "This is my way of thanking you for all the pretty things you take the time to make for me and everyone else. It's not as good as what you do, but I hope you'll still like it."

Slowly, the queen opened the top lid of the box to reveal a small, perfectly Margaret-sized jewel halo crown. Nearly everyone who had gathered widened their eyes at the sight, while the little girl's mouth dropped open in excited wonder.

The crown was made of silver and was adorned with jewels of all different colors, all designed to look like tiny flowers. She had seen the way Margaret had lit up when she allowed her to wear her own crown, so she figured the best way to show her thanks was to have one made just her size.

"As I said, it's not as pretty as the ones you make me, but I hope you'll still like it. I made sure it would fit just right this time," Riza spoke as she delicately took the crown from the box and placed it assuredly on the top of Margaret's head.

The poor girl looked like she was about to drop dead in amazement as she turned toward her caretaker in awe.

Helena also seemed rather shocked by the gesture. "Your Majesty. This is quite an elaborate gift."

Standing back to her feet, Riza smiled and reassured the elder woman. "And it's but a small price compared to the love you and everyone else has shown my sister and I. I want her to have it, truly." Leaning in further to speak in a low voice, Riza continued, "And should her father have any issues, I think I'll be able to handle that just fine."

Knowing there was nothing she could do to stop the queen from giving the child such an expensive gift, Helena shook her head and smiled, before turning down to the princess. "What do you tell the queen, Margaret?"

Snapping out of her dazed reverie, the little princess flashed Riza the biggest smile she had ever seen before running forward and wrapping her arms around her legs. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed over and over again, and Riza couldn't help but laugh happily down at her.

"You're very welcome. Now, how about you show me all the things you've made?"

Pulling back with a new determined glint in her eyes, the princess nodded her head, taking care not to jostle her beautiful gift. "Yeah, let's go!"

Taking the small princess's hand, she allowed herself to be led into the castle and toward the gardens, the rest of the party following after them at different speeds. Riza couldn't help but wonder the last time she had been this happy.

And she hadn't even  _seen_ her king yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by thesilentwatcher on tumblr https://thesilentwatcher.tumblr.com/tagged/mica-draws

Riza smiled fondly from her place on a second floor balcony overlooking the palace gardens. Below her, Ed, Winry, and Margaret were busy playing an apparently invigorating game of tag throughout the flower bushes. It seemed this was the little princess's home territory, and so her ability to weave in and out of the fragrant blooms to avoid getting caught by either of her two older friends was quite impressive.

The queen had just spent her own time with the young, raven-haired princess, meticulously going over all of Margaret's newest creations and designs while the little girl proudly showed off her gift to everyone she could find. Once Ed and Winry had returned from a private walk on the other side of the garden, the princess had flagged them down, and Riza took that as her opportunity to find some privacy for a moment.

Her thoughts were still nearly swimming at the inevitability of seeing Roy again, and the more time passed, the more anxious the queen became.

She knew they would be able to fall into step easily once they were reunited. Though they hadn't spent much time together after their mutual confession, the queen knew their relationship would evolve in the way it was always meant to. This time they had together to work on international trade agreements wouldn't distract from the fact that they had confessed their love, and would be able to enjoy those feelings together, in all their glory.

Still, there was something stirring within Riza as she waited for the king to return. She couldn't quite put a finger on what it was exactly, but it almost felt like a mixture between excitement for the future being formed before her and the uncertainty of the many big decisions she would have to make as that future developed.

The biggest question at the forefront of the queen's mind was one of marriage.

It was obvious her little sister would be soon engaged, if she wasn't already. Winry seemed confident it would happen not long after her arrival back in what she felt was her home kingdom. She and Ed were clearly over the moon about each other, and if the queen's suspicions were correct, Ed had spent the last six months while they were apart preparing his estate. Winry had told her that the Elric brothers were born from a very wealthy family, and though their father didn't seem to be involved in their lives any more (and Riza knew their mother had died when they were very young), the brothers still had quite an inheritance to handle. Given the fact that they were young, single knights without anyone but themselves to look after, they hadn't taken the time yet to organize their affairs, so to speak. A marriage involving a princess would certainly be enough to necessitate a change.

Riza had faith in the eldest Elric brother, though. He was tactless and forward at times, but that didn't negate his incredible intelligence. She was certain he would be able to take care of Winry long after they married, even if she was losing a part of her 'royal' status marrying a commoner from another kingdom. Winry wasn't in line for the Aerugonian throne, so it didn't really matter who she chose to spend the rest of her life with, provided she was given the life she wanted. Riza knew Ed would have no problem doing that.

So there were no worries about Winry's upcoming marriage, other than planning the royal wedding, which the queen already knew was going to be a headache, even if Ed and Winry would no doubt want a smaller affair. No, what really worried Riza concerning marriage at the moment was the scariest thought of all...her own prospects.

She loved Roy, truly she did. She didn't think she was even capable of loving someone else like she loved him, but as was usually the case where he was involved, she had been surprised at how easy the feelings blossomed. Soon, they would be together again, and though they had made the mutual agreement to keep things private for the time being so as not to deal with the many questions from the people of their respective kingdoms, Riza was sure this time together in the same place would help those feelings of love to grow ever stronger.

The inevitable conclusion of that was, of course, a marriage, but things weren't as easy for Riza as they were for her younger sister. Not with her kingdom and throne to think about.

If Matthew had been given the throne, or if her father was still alive, Riza figured it would be a much easier decision. She would have to forfeit her Aerugonian royal status, of course, but it still would mean she'd become the queen of Amestris. Last year that thought would have been horrifying to the young queen, but now it seemed right. After all, that was the plan both Roy and Riza's parents had wanted to set in stone anyway, if not for her mother's untimely death.

But now she ran the kingdom of Aerugo, a fact she was admittedly quite proud of. She loved her kingdom and wanted the best for it. Granted, leaving it to Matthew would still be a good option, but Riza was quite certain she wouldn't be able to give it up that easily. No, something would have to be arranged for Riza to agree to marry Roy and become the queen of Amestris. And, given the size and influence of both their kingdoms, it would have to be a massive change, something that couldn't be concocted over night. Riza had ideas floating around in her head, but she was hesitant to relate any of them to Roy. She figured she'd let him come to the conclusion of a marriage on his own, ask it of her, and  _then_ she would tell him her thoughts. No point in straining whatever it was they had just yet.

In an effort to change the topic in her mind from the rather daunting prospect of marriage (which was still a far away possibility), she tried to take in the scenery of the Amestrian capital city and the surrounding hills. Of course, doing so led her to the other subject that she had been unable to stop thinking about since the prospect of a return trip to Amestris had been presented.

In the haste of the Repubilc resurgence and Claudio's betrayal, she and Hughes and Roy had never found any more information about the pond in the east wood that had nearly claimed both her and the king's lives. They had uncovered a few ancient texts with vague references, but nothing concrete. It had actually started to discourage all of them that there seemed to be no answers, but there wasn't much they could do, especially once other things started to become more important.

Riza knew it wasn't the time of year when the callings of the pond usually happened, but a small fear still wove itself around her when she thought about it. There was nothing more gripping than what she had gone through after she heard her mother's voice. And really now that she had gone under the water and seen what was there, it was even more terrifying. While she knew how to fight it, she also knew what kind of sweet bliss awaited her if she gave in. Being reunited with her mother was a strong temptation, but she still decided to place her hope in the love of Winry and Roy, the only two people she felt were worth sticking around for.

A sudden gust of wind blew past her and a new thought appeared in her mind, a temptation born more out of strong curiosity rather than a mysterious calling. Even though she knew she had to wait for Roy to arrive, the idea was becoming too strong to ignore, and after only a few more moments of inner debate, she decided she would act on it.

She turned to exit the balcony with a determined step, but was almost immediately stopped by the sight of Lady Helena approaching.

"Helena! What is it?" Riza quickly asked, eager to set out on her mini journey.

The elder woman looked at her curiously and tilted her head, but answered all the same. "I was just coming to inform you that the king shouldn't be too long from returning to the castle."

This gave the queen pause, but only for a moment. She shook her head and flashed Helena a determined gaze. She had already made her decision. Roy had waited this long, he could wait a few hours more.

"Thank you, Helena, but I actually think I'm going to go out riding for awhile."

If her old caretaker had been confused before, she seemed practically baffled now. "Riding? Why ever would you do that? I thought you wouldn't want to waste a second before reuniting with His Majesty."

Riza managed to let out a soft smile at the woman's words. "Rest assured, I don't. But...I think there's something I need to do first. If you'll excuse me," the queen stated matter-of-factly before stepping past Helena on her way to the stables.

The elder woman's voice stopped her right at the door to the hallway. "Wait! But what should I tell the king?"

Turning back around, Riza smiled once again, this time with a knowing edge to her voice as she spoke. "Tell him that...he'll know where to find me."

And with that, the queen pushed aside the door and dashed to the castle stables, leaving a positively stunned Lady Helena in her wake.

* * *

Roy pulled up on the reins of his trusted horse as he approached the entrance to the castle stables. There waiting for him were a pair of stable workers who immediately helped him dismount before beginning the process of removing the horse's saddle. Following not long after him was Sir Havoc and Breda as they concluded their morning jaunt through the Amestrian hills.

The preparations for the arrival of the Xingese emperor were starting to weigh down mentally on the thoroughly overworked king. Knowing the raven-haired man could use a de-stressor, the two head knights had convinced him to join him on their ride. He was glad they had done so. There was nothing quite like the feeling of the wind whistling by and the steady rise and fall of his horse's gallop. He needed this time with friends more than he realized.

The trio talked genially as they made their way back into the castle proper, feeling a calm contentedness they hadn't experienced in a while. Roy figured this was a good start to what he knew would be an exciting few weeks. It all would start the next day, when they were expecting the arrival of the Aerugonian royals.

Or it would have, if they had actually stuck to their original schedule. But the two blonde women from Aerugo had a way of keeping the king on his toes.

He realized that in full when he rounded the outdoor corridor next to the palace gardens and nearly fell over at the sight of a familiar young women with long blonde hair and sparkling cerulean eyes, standing by herself and looking as though she knew he was coming. The excited smile overtaking her face was evidence enough of that fact.

"Gods, there you are! I was beginning to think this kingdom ran itself," she spoke in a fake reprimanding tone, unable to keep her smile concealed.

Thoroughly stunned, Roy stood still for a moment, his mouth gaping open like a fish, before he shook the shock away and a jovial smile overtook his own face. He closed the remaining distance between them and wrapped the princess in an affectionate hug.

"This is a pleasant surprise. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

Winry pulled back from their embrace and nodded her head in greeting to Havoc and Breda, who returned the gesture silently. "We made good time. Honestly, though, you should've prepared yourself at least somewhat. My sister and I tend to be unpredictable," she responded with a sly smirk.

"Truer words have never been spoken." Taking the time to realize said sister wasn't around, Roy stood a little straighter and tried to appear nonchalant as he asked, "Speaking of, where  _is_ your sister?"

A knowing look immediately flashed in the princess's deep, blue eyes, but before she could answer him, an excited shout sounded from the gardens.

"Papa, you're back! Look! Look what Queen Riza gave me!" a practically vibrating Princess Margaret exclaimed as she ran up to where they had gathered in the corridor, a mildly distressed Ed following slowly after her.

Roy could barely get a word in before his daughter was proudly presenting a small jewel crown to him. Immediately the king's eyes widened and he kneeled to get a better look at it. "Wow, love, that's beautiful. You said Riza got this for you?" he curiously asked, wondering at how much he had clearly missed while he was away. This was the exact reason he didn't regularly make riding trips through the hillside. This castle was always bustling with excitement.

In response to his question, Margaret enthusiastically nodded her head. "Yep! She said it was to thank me for all the things I've made for her. And because I don't have one of my own. Can I keep it? Lady Helena said you might not let me," Margaret spoke, her voice deflating slightly at her last statement. Roy lifted an eyebrow at this, not at all shocked at how well the older woman knew him, before his eyes flickered up to Winry, the only other person who might be able to give some insight.

With that knowing smile still fixed on her face, Winry answered his unasked question. "Riza figured you'd might have some concerns, but she was fairly confident she'd be able to handle them."

"Uh-huh," Roy responded to that, nearly shaking his head at his queen's antics. Winry was right when she said they were unpredictable. There was no point in fighting it now. Turning back to his daughter, Roy placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Yes, you can keep it, love, but don't forget how special a gift it is. Riza must think very highly of you to get you something like this."

Margaret beamed at him. "Well good, because I think the same about her!"

It was such a simple and innocent statement, but it filled Roy with a sense of happiness he couldn't even describe.

Of course, the question of Riza's whereabouts still remained, as the anticipation of finally seeing her again after so long began building up within the king. He stood back to his feet and turned expectantly toward Winry.

Answering his question from earlier, she merely shrugged her shoulders. "I don't actually know where she went. She told Ed and I that she was going somewhere private and then just disappeared. I figure she must be around here somewhere, though."

"In that you are wrong, I'm afraid," a new and familiar voice spoke, causing all eyes to turn questioningly toward the source. Emerging from the other end of the corridor, Lady Helena approached them calmly and regally. Her eyes immediately found Roy's and she couldn't help but let out a small smile at the sheer  _antsiness_ behind them.

"I ran into Her Majesty not that long ago, and she told me she was leaving to go for a ride."

Thoroughly confused at this new development, Roy asked, "A ride to where?"

"That she wouldn't tell me. Only that should you wish to follow her, Your Majesty, you'd know where to go."

Completely baffled by these words, Roy thought to himself where Riza could have possibly run off to. It wasn't really like her to just randomly take her horse and leave the city. She knew the dangers of going far away without company. Really, the only other time she had rashly ridden off into the hillside was when…

Roy couldn't even finish the thought before his eyes lit up in understanding and he was immediately heading back to the stables for his horse. He knew  _exactly_ where she was.

* * *

The closer the king got, the more familiar the surrounding woods became. There was a stark difference between the trees passing by him now compared to what he remembered the last two times he had been here. Before, the eerie aura of the eastern wood made the powerful man practically shiver. He remembered the trees taking on an almost creepy, life-like form. The mist of the early morning chill pervaded everything and the sounds of a melodious voice drifting through the wind were overwhelming, too harsh to ignore.

Now, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the scene. The sun shined through the branches, the late summer afternoon light casting a far different picture than the early winter morning had. The only sound passing through the trees was that of the swaying branches and a light wind. It was calm, almost peaceful. Roy had to stop and wonder at how strange it was to  _not_  hear Isabella's voice calling to him. To not feel the intense urge to obey her commands, to find her and reunite with her. The change was strange, almost eerie in its own right.

Roy tried to shake those thoughts away. He had to focus on what he was doing now. It was a bit more difficult to find the exact location without the calls guiding him, and he didn't want to get lost. Not when his queen was probably waiting for him. A small inkling of fear still gripped him that, even though everything was different this time around, she had still been mysteriously called, and had let herself give in to the temptation. He figured she had learned too much after what happened last time for that, but he still couldn't help but worry.

Suddenly, just when he was starting to think he'd made a wrong turn, the sight of a regal white horse tied up to a nearby tree caused him to stop his own dead in its tracks. His heart sped up at the sight before he could calm himself down. So he had been right all along. She had come here, to this place where she'd almost given everything up all those months ago. He still didn't know why she had come here, but at the moment it didn't much matter. Riza was just beyond those bushes, and he had waited long enough to see her.

With slow, but deliberate movements, he made his way through the foliage, pushing aside tree branches and leaves impatiently before he finally made it to the clearing.

Where he nearly had his breath taken from him at the sight that appeared.

The pond looked almost foreign, nearly opposite to how he remembered it. The sun shined down the water giving it an almost dazzling appearance. The murky surface appeared almost crystal clear and the quiet calm pervaded all his senses.

That wasn't what really got his attention though. Rather, it was the familiar blonde woman sitting nonchalantly on the edge, one foot dangling above the surface, dipping into the water every so often, watching as the ripples moved in perfect synchronization.

Roy half-wondered if she was in some kind of trance. The look on her face was unreadable as he slowly approached and was able to get a better view of where she sat. While normally strong and regal, now she appeared almost child-like in her whimsical wonder, curiously watching her motions through the water. The king was nearly hesitant to get her attention, afraid she'd lash out wildly at being startled.

But no, she was already quite aware of his presence. He watched as her muscles tensed just so when his foot broke a twig noisily beneath where he stepped. However, other than the initial movement, she stayed perfectly still. Roy prided himself on his ability to understand this much about her. He knew exactly where she would be, a fact she had already realized herself. His sudden appearance was anything but a surprise.

Before he could break the quiet calm, she beat him to it, the voice he had dreamed of hearing for six long months a stark contrast to the silence hanging over the scene. "Do you see that?" she asked, nothing out of the ordinary about her tone, even given the strange set of circumstances.

Roy's face twisted in confusion at her words, as he looked down to where she was indicating in the waters. He couldn't really see much of anything, but he stayed silent as she continued. Thoroughly surprising him yet again, she reached next to her, where a a long stick had been placed and dunked it in the water. She rummaged around for a few moments before pulling the stick back out and presenting it to him. There, hanging off the now dripping edge, was a clump of green vines. Roy looked further into the depths of the pond and found that almost the entire bottom of the body of water was covered in the entwining plant. Riza dropped the stick unceremoniously into the water and waited for the ripples to die down before she spoke.

"Vines. The water's full of them. Even the most veteran of swimmers could easily get caught in them and drown."

Understanding dawned on the king as he finally started to see what her point was with all of this. It wasn't quite how he pictured them reuniting, but in its own strange way, it was fitting.

"And if you look around, the trees are arranged just so. Sound traveling through them is rhythmic and...familiar. Even now, you can almost hear people's voices through the wind."

The queen paused a moment to let Roy observe it for himself, and he did have to admit she was right. The wind passing through the trees whistled in a peculiar way.

"I think someone dealing with grief is willing to make anything possible. Whistling winds sound like strange calls. A pond full of vines drags people to their deaths. Lack of air from being under too long makes dreams turn into reality."

Roy took a step closer as he eyed Riza strangely. So this was what she had come here for? To figure out once and for all what had happened that one morning in the early winter last year. Her voice held no emotion and her face was blank. The king was actually getting frustrated that he wasn't able to read her. Finally, he asked, "So that's the conclusion you've come to? That it was all just an illusion?"

Letting out a soft sigh, Riza shook her head. "I don't know what to think. My mind is telling me that I'm crazy. That things like that don't really happen. That there has to be a logical explanation behind everything. But my heart remembers what it saw. Remembers how real it felt. You went under. You know it too."

Yes, he certainly did. These were the exact same questions he had wrestled with himself, first when he heard Isabella's calls and followed them, and then when Riza had done the same. He had never really figured out the answer. He wondered if he ever would.

"I think…" she finally began, bringing him back to their conversation. "That some things in life don't have explanations. And never will. Being here those first few weeks, everything happened all at once. I had too many questions and no answers. I think I let myself give in to the fear."

"And what are you going to do now that you're back?" Roy meaningfully asked, knowing where her line of thought was leading her.

He watched in wonder as a small smile graced her beautiful face. "I can't live in fear anymore. It keeps me from appreciating the better parts of life."

"Oh?" Roy began, a smile of his own appearing on his face as he took another step forward. Now he stood right next to where she still sat, her foot dangling in the water. "And what 'better parts of life' do you plan on appreciating?"

Her smile grew as she finally made to stand, brushing the dirt away from her simple red dress. "This, for one. I'm sorry I ruined our reunion."

With the change in position, Roy finally was able to look deep into her brown eyes and found himself getting thoroughly lost in them. "Don't be. I feel like this is appropriate for us."

Riza's smile grew and Roy couldn't remember seeing anything more perfect. However, just as quickly as his eyes found her own, they drifted down to her neck, where the high collar of her shirt was obscuring something he had a particular interest in finding. Unknowingly, he frowned, which the queen immediately picked up on.

"What is it?" she asked.

Seeing no point in lying, Roy answered her. "Where is the necklace? Do you...still wear it?" He hated how borderline nervous he sounded asking her about it. The knowledge that he had left his crest with her sent a thrill down his spine any time he dwelled on it over the past six months. He couldn't quite describe the feeling, but there was something intoxicating about the sight of it lying around her neck, signifying the depth of their connection. The fact that he couldn't see it now made a strange sort of dread appear in his stomach.

Curiously, Riza tilted her head at his inquiry, as if she had no idea what he was referring to. "Necklace?" The feeling of dread turned to ice. Had she...really forgotten? Suddenly, her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh! Yes, that. I meant to tell you but I never got around to it. I think I lost it somewhere along the way. It might have slipped off while I was riding or I misplaced it when I was changing or…"

Immediately cutting off the queen's nonchalant and suspiciously well-prepared explanations, Roy stepped forward and boldly reached his hand under the top collar of her dress. Inappropriate in any other circumstance, but he figured she'd forgive him for it this one time, especially when his fingers produced a rather familiar silver chain from underneath the fabric and he watched as her nonchalant expression turned into a soft, knowing smile.

"I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me," she whispered as Roy pulled the rest of it out and delicately set the crest pendant down across the top part of her chest, his heart practically exploding at both the sight and her accompanying words.

She may seem calm, composed, and aloof at times, but Roy knew better than anyone that she could be  _quite_ the tease.

"I missed you," was all he could think to say as his brain was practically short-circuiting from the amount of love pouring out of him for her.

"And I you," she whispered back as she took a small step forward and that was all the invitation the king needed to gently grasp the back of her neck, tilt her head, and bring his lips to meet hers.

The kiss was harsh and demanding, as Riza's arms wrapped around his midsection pulling him ever closer to her. It had been six months since they had even seen each other, let alone been able to taste one another like this. They hadn't gotten to fully indulge in the act before they'd been separated, so to be like this now, with no one but the swaying trees to watch them, was intoxicating.

Breaking apart with a gasp for some much-needed air, Riza smiled softly and leaned her forehead against his own, closing her eyes to fully take in the importance of this moment. Roy did the same, as his fingers softly ran along the soft skin of her neck, delighting in the way her skin shivered at his touch. Gods, it had been too long. But they didn't have to wait any longer. They were together for at least much of the foreseeable future. The king wouldn't take that for granted any longer.

Roy wasn't even sure how long they stayed like that, simply basking in the glow of each other's presence, before Riza pulled back only slightly, flashing him a rather surprising little pout.

"Must we return to the castle so soon?" she asked, looking up to the sky where the sun was very slowly beginning its descent, indicating the late afternoon time. Not any more willing to return home to the castle where they had already long ago agreed to keep evidence of their relationship to a minimum (which of course would include physical signs of love, unfortunately), Roy leaned his forehead against hers once again, and let out a small groan.

"We'll have to eventually. The hillside can get pretty dangerous when it gets dark."

Riza smiled, her lips meeting his briefly before pulling back again. "I'm willing to take the risk. Provided you'll protect me from any wolves we might encounter," she spoke, a teasing note evident in her voice.

"Always," he responded confidently, placing one last peck on her lips before pulling back completely and reaching down for her hand. "Come. I know just the place to go."

It had been quite a lengthy ride, as Riza's horse struggled to keep pace with Roy's, no doubt faster because of his overeager rider, but the final destination was well worth the trip.

When they had first arrived, Riza could hardly form words, the beauty before her too much to even describe. He had taken her to the edge of the infamous East Lake, one of the few large bodies of water Amestris contained. The western edge that they had ventured to was particularly breathtaking, because of the high-rising cliffs that overlooked the water. The wind was rather strong, but it felt amazing as it rushed past where the king and queen stood near the edge. The water stretched on into the horizon, no land able to be seen. It was a magnificent sight. They had nothing quite like it in Aerugo.

Riza had told Roy when he first showed it to her, that seeing Amestris like this, majestic, beautiful, and strong, made any last remaining fears of the uncertainty of the lands fade into nonexistence. When she had vowed to stay away, she didn't know the beauty this kingdom held. She never would have been able to guess it. Even when she was making regular trips as a child, she didn't know Amestris was truly this gorgeous. She appreciated it now more than ever.

Roy had let her marvel, doing his best to contain his overwhelming pride. As he watched her stare out at the massive lake, the wind blowing her long, golden locks in every direction (though she didn't really care), he couldn't help but think about their future. That he could take her to this spot over and over and over again, watch her appreciate it anew like she was doing now, even long after they'd grown old. It was an overwhelming thought, but one he couldn't ignore. Admittedly, giving her his crest had been the first indication that he wanted a long future with her, but he still hoped she knew how much he had planned for them. He wasn't even sure he could wait to share this life with her. He wondered if that's what she even wanted.

Not letting such serious thoughts ruin this moment, Roy had waited until Riza was done staring dreamily out at the horizon before leading her further back from the edge of the cliffs to where the wind was milder and the rolling meadows stretched out as far as the eye could see, their blooms swaying with the breeze. Their horses meandered around, grazing as they went while Roy used his cloak as a makeshift blanket for the pair to lay on.

The king was no sprawled out atop it, Riza tucked into the crook of his arm, her head resting on his chest as they simple contented themselves in just  _being_  without all the stresses that both of their positions normally brought.

The sun gradually descended in the sky and Riza sat up long enough to watch as it painted the lakeside with an array of magnificent colors. Roy was happier just watching her from his place on the ground, figuring she was a far more magnificent sight, as cliche as it was to admit.

As the last traces of the beautiful sunset started to gradually disappear and the light around them began to dim minute by minute, Riza turned back to her king with a sigh. "Well I suppose we should return now. Winry will be worried and Ed will be angry with us for keeping him from eating his dinner."

With a boyish smirk, Roy wrapped his hand around her wrist and abruptly tugged her back down to his chest, delighting in the small gasp she let out as she fell. She flashed him an unamused glare, but he weathered it almost as well as Winry always did.

"I don't particularly care what they think, if it means I have even just a few more minutes to kiss you," he declared dramatically before bringing her lips to meet his. He was happy she at least indulged him that much, though he knew she was about to reprimand his child-like tendencies.

Parting their lips and propping her chin up on his chest with her other arm, she lifted an eyebrow. "It seems Helena is right. You  _do_ know how to sweet-talk the ladies."

Roy huffed at that. "Why does that keep coming up? It might be sweet talk, but my intentions  _are_  genuine."

"Uh-huh," Riza responded with a sarcastic tone.

"Ugh, just five more minutes, love. I don't think I can handle pretending I don't want to kiss you every other moment."

"If you don't start to learn now, it will only get worse," she reminded him.

"I don't see a problem with that," he immediately countered and Riza nearly rolled her eyes at him.

" _I_ do. And you should know that's all that matters. One more kiss, then we return," she offered.

Being a smart enough man to take what she would give, he flashed her a smile. "Fine, though I do find it interesting that you pretend not to want this too."

Lightly punching him in the shoulder for the slight, Riza then immediately crushed her lips to his, taking full and complete advantage of their last kiss for the time being. Roy certainly couldn't complain as her tongue parted his mouth and they tasted each other to their heart's content.

Not being able to contain themselves, that kiss turned into a few more, but, finally, Riza parted from him, gave him one final smirk and made her way to stand up. Roy let out an audible groan, but he followed her all the same. He knew that now was the time to return to reality.

It wasn't all bad, though, he thought as they mounted their horses and began the lengthy journey back to the capital city. These next few weeks were sure to bring excitement, new friendships, and quite a few good times. Not to mention the fact that Roy was almost completely certain he and Riza would find plenty of opportunities to indulge each other in private. Her taste was far too addicting to ignore for that long. He had been apart from it for six months, he wasn't about to deprive himself like that again. It was a good thing Riza felt the same way.

With that thought in mind, the king and queen rode in companionable silence, even as darkness descended on the land, making their unremarkable journey back to the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

Roy and Riza had barely stepped through the door of the king's dining room before a pair of furious golden eyes were greeting them. Although, yelling annoyed obscenities could hardly be considered an appropriate greeting.

"Where the hell have you two been? The staff won't bring out the food until the king arrives and we've practically all starved to death!" Edward exclaimed, his arms gesturing wildly to help prove his point.

An impatient sigh sounded from the table. "Calm down, Ed. You probably ate enough food for three people at lunch, I highly doubt you're about to starve," Winry reminded him.

"Still! It's pretty damn rude to keep the people who work for you waiting like this. Where even were you guys? Winry was starting to get worried," Ed spoke, his voice only slightly subdued.

The king and queen exchanged a quick, somewhat guilty look before turning back to the group gathered for the private dinner, which included Ed, Winry, and Al, as well as the Havoc's, Helena, and the rest of Roy's most trusted court members. They hadn't really thought of a good explanation, and they knew 'making out in a meadow' wouldn't go over so well.

Roy cleared his throat and answered the irate knight. "I wanted to show the queen the cliffs by East Lake. We lost track of time."

There were many a surprised gasp and widened eyes at that bit of information, especially from the Amestrians, who knew the particular spot the king referred to better than Winry would have.

"Damn. You went all the way out there? No wonder you're late," Havoc added, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"I apologize for delaying dinner, Sir Elric. I wanted to go and the king indulged me. We won't waste any more time," Riza spoke, her calm voice placating the golden-haired knight, temporarily at least. It didn't stop him from shooting Roy a dirty look as the king indicated to his head servant to start serving the food. He and Riza sat at their appropriate spots and their friends wasted no time in thoroughly devouring everything that was presented.

Riza was certainly not immune to the curious glances her sister shot her out of the corner of her eyes every so often. The queen knew she would have quite a bit of explaining to do later. The only person who truly knew the full extent of Roy and Riza's relationship was the Aerugonian princess. She no doubt would have a much better idea of what exactly had kept the king and queen than everyone else would, though Riza was sure they all had their fair share of suspicions. The small smirk that seemed ever-present on Lady Helena's face was a clear indication of what  _she_ thought of all of this.

As everyone finished up the last remnants of their dinner, talk turned (much to Riza's relief) to the upcoming arrival of the Xingese Emperor. The queen couldn't help but delight in the way Roy's eyes lit up at the possibility of a new trade agreement and a potentially game-changing allyship.

"Emperor Ling only took over Xing recently, apparently," Roy was saying, as the servants began clearing the plates and everyone settled in with their respective cups of ale to listen to the king's plans. "There was a pretty bitter battle for succession after the former emperor became ill but, from what my sources tell me, Ling couldn't be a better man for the job. He's young, but idealistic."

"That sounds familiar," Helena added with a knowing smile, which Roy returned gratefully.

"Precisely why I expect we'll get along well. Apparently a partnership with Amestris was one of Emperor Ling's primary goals. After he heard of everything that's been happening with Creta lately, he knew now was the best time to form good relations."

"How long do you expect the trade talks to last?" Rebecca curiously asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. If we can agree on most things, it shouldn't be more than a few weeks. If there are disagreements, it'll be longer."

"But from what I'm hearing, you and the Emperor seem to be on the same page. It probably won't be long before everyone's partying in the streets," Winry offered with a smirk before bringing her cup to her lips. She paused as a thought occurred to her and then spoke. "Even Aerugo's talks with Creta didn't last longer than a month. And there were  _plenty_ of disagreements there."

At her words, Riza visibly tensed, though she tried to keep any other showing of the reminder of the failed treaty with Creta contained. She could tell Roy noticed though. If their relationship hadn't been under wraps for the time being she just knew he would have reached for her hand to comfort her. The queen cleared her throat and added in a dignified voice that didn't betray a bit of the emotion she was experiencing, "Yes, but we all saw how fragile that ended up being. We may all agree with the Xingese rulers, but we still have to be careful. Treaties aren't as binding as everyone thinks they are."

"We won't let our guard down, of course. I'm prepared to handle these talks with the same mindset as I would any other. Not to mention with the developments of the Republic, we'll have to be extra careful anyway. No one must forget that," Roy spoke in a voice far more subdued than what he had begun this conversation with. Riza hated having to be the one to rain on the parade, but she didn't think anyone would blame her for being paranoid. Rulers could smile and shake hands and sign papers, but a true allegiance took far more time and effort to create. She was at least glad to see that Roy hadn't forgotten this.

Everyone at the table also seemed to be in agreement, as they nodded their heads and added their own sentiments with solemn, but determined voices.

The conversation winded down from there, as the excitement of the day began to weigh on everyone. When a few yawns were noticed from the group gathered, Roy began to stand to suggest everyone get to bed. There was plenty of work to be done in the coming days.

Before he could officially dismiss everyone, however, Edward quickly stood to his feet to stop him, surprising almost the entire group. Winry, however, didn't seem fazed by the move and a warm feeling overtook Riza when she figured the probable reason why.

"Wait, I...um...have an announcement to make before everyone goes."

A few people raised their eyebrows and shot the golden-haired knight looks of curious confusion, but Riza stayed perfectly still, her eyes only finding Winry's. Her sister, upon seeing her quick glance, gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head. Riza had to try her best from grinning ear to ear at the sight of it. This was going to be good.

"Or rather," Ed amended, his hands fidgeting with his tunic and his cheeks taking on a rosy color. " _Winry_ and I have an announcement to make."

At these words, Riza noticed Roy's eyes locking on her. She met his curious gaze with a small smirk, as if confirming his unasked question and watched in amusement as his eyes slightly widened.

"Um...well...uh," Ed stuttered out looking from the people gathered at the table, the ones he trusted more than anything, down to Winry, who seemed to be completely unphased where the love of her life looked like he was about to die of embarrassment in the next moment. "You see...Winry and I...well we...uh...we just wanted to tell you...that...um," Ed mumbled out, not able to string a whole sentence together.

Eventually, his inability to speak grew frustrating enough for the princess to say something. "Ugh, come on Ed, just spit it out!"

Spurred enough into motion by her words, Ed straightened up, his arms determinedly held by his side and his face the color of a ripe tomato, and spoke in a shaking voice. "Winry and I are engaged to be married!" The statement practically fell out of his mouth as one combined word, but the sentiment still stood, and Riza watched calmly as her friends reacted to the news.

It was deathly silent for a moment, as everyone processed the information, before there was a sudden explosion of noise.

"Congratulations you two!"

"Wait, I thought you were already engaged?"

"I'm so happy for you brother! I can't wait for all my nieces and nephews!"

"Who knew you had it in you to snag a princess, kid."

"Can I be a bridesmaid? Oh! Margaret will make the sweetest flower girl."

As everyone began showering the overwhelmed couple with their happy sentiments, Roy and Riza sat back in their chairs watching the scene. Eventually, the king leaned over to where she sat and spoke in a low voice. "Did you know about this?"

Riza gave a sly smile at his question. "I didn't know they were  _officially_ engaged or that they would announce it tonight, but I had plenty of suspicions. Don't tell me you're actually surprised by the news? You knew she had his crest."

"Well, yeah," the king offered somewhat sheepishly. "I just wasn't expecting it to be this soon."

Riza rolled her eyes. "I know my sister well enough to realize that she wasn't going to waste any time."

"Apparently," Roy replied with a small scoff before he stood from his place at the head of the table and lifted his cup. With a loud voice to draw everyone's attention, he began, "Congratulations to Edward and Winry. I know I speak for everyone in Amestris when I say we couldn't be happier for you. Here's to a long and prosperous life together," he toasted with a small tip of his drink, and his friends and court members quickly followed suit.

The newly engaged couple looked to be practically glowing as everyone toasted to their happiness. While the group continued to give their congrats, Winry's eyes met her sister's. Even though everyone was talking their ears off and surrounding them with joyful exclamations, the sisters still took the time to share a meaningful glance. They didn't need words to express everything they were feeling. Their eyes twinkled as they revelled in the happiness of this moment. Riza's little sister was getting married to the love of her life. The queen had been fortunate enough to have plenty of happy moments over the past year, but she knew this one took the cake. Winry looked beside herself with joy. It suddenly made all the heartache, all the fear, and all the adversity they had gone through disappear. All that was left was this moment, this joy.

A small tear fell down the queen's cheek once Winry's eyes left her sister's to focus her attention on thanking her friends. Riza was rather shocked to even feel it as it trickled down her face. She quickly wiped it away and tried to compose herself, hoping no one had noticed.

Of course, it was too much of an emotional display to escape the watchful eyes of the one person who seemed focused on her, when everyone else was focused on Ed and Winry.

While the attention was diverted, Roy took the liberty to place a reassuring hand on the queen's thigh under the table. Her eyes met his, immediately interpreting his silent question.  _Are you alright?_

She gave a nearly choked smile at his glance and nodded her head.

_Yes. I'm truly happy._

* * *

Havoc dodged and Edward swung. The two knights then twisted and their blades clashed with a violent noise, the clattering sound echoing around the training grounds. The king's First Knight was hoping to win the battle of wills with the younger man, not liking how skilled he was in comparison. Havoc was the best in the land with a bow and arrow, but his sword-fighting skills were lacking compared to some of the other high-ranked fighters.

A few more swings, another twist, and a gutsy move by Ed to invade Havoc's personal space, found the older knight with his sword falling noisily to the ground, and the long, golden-haired man standing victoriously before him. Havoc let out a weighted sigh and admitted his defeat.

"Damn, Elric, when did you get so good?"

Swinging his blade around with one final (overly dramatic) flair, Ed lowered his weapon and shook Havoc's hand to signify the end of their mini battle. They then walked together to where the king and a few other men had gathered to train.

"Probably while you were busy shooting arrows down at the range, I'd guess," Ed spoke in a non-plussed voice as he set up his training blade among the others on the rack. Roy was leaned up against a nearby wall observing his two knights with a calculated, though no less amused, gaze.

"Really? And here I thought you spent all of your time kissing your future bride," the king offered with a smirk, revelling in the way Ed's cheeks reddened in response.

Havoc let out an undignified snort before clapping the younger knight on the back and setting up his own blade as well.

"That's not  _all_ we do. Hell, most of my time training as of lately has been with her."

"What kind of  _training_  are we talking about here?" Breda teased with a smirk. Almost impossibly, Ed's face reddened even more, as the rest of the men practically guffawed at the slight.

"Shut the hell up, all of you. That stuff's not any of your business," Ed managed to let out with a harumph.

"Come on now, Elric. You're going to be a married man soon. You should start getting used to all the  _wonderful_  things marriage has to offer," Havoc spoke with a highly suggestive tone.

In an effort to save himself more embarrassment at the direction this conversation had turned, Ed indignantly countered, "Wonderful, huh? Didn't you get chewed out by Rebecca this morning for eating too many rolls?"

Roy and the other men gathered couldn't help but snicker at Havoc's thoroughly affronted face. Before he could offer up a counter-argument, the king pushed himself off the wall, grabbed a training blade and nodded at Ed.

"Come on, Elric. I'm challenging you next, and you're not allowed to say no."

"What are you talking about? I just fought Havoc!" the younger knight exclaimed indignantly.

"You think an enemy is going to let you take breaks? Grab a sword. I want to test your endurance," Roy commanded, leaving little room for argument. Despite his objections, Roy was and had always been his king, making him obligated to obey a direct order. With an angry huff, Ed grabbed another blade and followed him to the other side of the training grounds, away from the suggestive remarks and wiggled eyebrows of the king's court members.

When Ed finally approached the king, he lifted a questioning eyebrow. "We haven't fought like this in a long time. Something tells me you have other plans than to just 'test my endurance'."

Roy chuckled and swung his blade around to loosen up his muscles. "As astute as ever, Elric. I wanted to talk to you away from the other men."

"And the best way to do that is to fight me?" Ed asked, stretching his own body in preparation.

The king's tell-tale smirk appeared on his face as he turned toward the younger man, his blade raised in the traditional starting stance. Ed followed suit quickly. "Well, getting in some practice never hurts."

Without another word, the king dashed forward to begin their sparring session. They clashed a few times, far more well-matched than the other men would have been before they stepped back to catch their breaths.

"So what do you have on your mind, King Bastard?"

Not letting the smirk fade, Roy answered him. "I wanted to talk about Winry." Again the king lunged forward and Ed countered, thoroughly annoyed that the highly-skilled man didn't leave any openings for Ed to try his own attacks. As much as he hated to admit it, Roy was probably the best sword-fighter in the kingdom. Fitting, considering his position.

"What about Winry?" Ed asked breathlessly, as they continued to move.

With a quick pause, Roy replied, "I wanted to make sure that the man she's going to marry is ready for that kind of responsibility."

"Responsibility?" Ed questioned skeptically. "What are you, her brother? What the hell do you care?"

The ringing of their swords meeting echoed off the walls of the training grounds as Roy leaned in close to Ed's face, not letting him get away.

"I may not be related to her by blood, but I do consider the princess something of a sister. I want to know that you're taking this seriously, Elric. You aren't marrying just any normal woman. Screwing this up could have devastating consequences."

Narrowing his eyes angrily, Ed mustered up enough strength to push the king back and begin circling him before the next attack. "You really think I don't know that? I have no intention of 'screwing this up'. And I know full well what Winry means to me. She's not just anyone, she'll never be."

The determination practically oozing off of the golden-haired knight set the king at ease. "Good, that's what I like to hear."

They sparred in silence for a few more minutes, before, during another pause in their movements, Ed spoke up. "And what about you, huh? You're not really in a position to be lecturing me about this kind of thing. Not when you haven't stepped up and done the same thing with Riza."

The words had barely left Ed's mouth before Roy moved in for a strike, his eyes darkening. Making sure that no one was listening in on their conversation, the king leaned forward.

"Don't even think about starting on that, Elric. You know it's different with us."

"How so? You love her. Everyone knows that, at least. And I'd be pretty shocked if she didn't love you back. So what are you waiting for? Make her your queen."

The statement shocked Roy enough to keep him distracted while Ed moved in for a final attack and completely rid the king of his sword. It clattered to the ground, leaving them in a stunned silence.

Finally, Roy responded in a low voice. "It's not that easy."

"Bullshit it's not," was Ed's immediate reply. "If this really is as serious as I think it is, it'll overcome all odds. I wouldn't have stopped at anything to marry Winry. You say you think of Winry as a sister, well guess what? Riza practically is my sister. And I don't want to see her get hurt anymore than you do with Winry."

Roy couldn't help but widen his eyes at the younger man, whose own golden orbs were filled with a fire and a determination that completely shocked the king.

"Do the right thing, old man," Ed continued with a small smirk, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "Like you said, Winry and Riza aren't just any ordinary women. They deserve the world. So are you prepared to give it to them like I am?"

* * *

"Ooooh! Tell me everything! How did he do it? Did he get down on one knee? Did he give you something? I want to know  _all_ the details," Lady Rebecca squealed as she grasped Winry's hands and nearly jumped up and down from excitement.

Though dealing with the hyperactive woman was a little overwhelming, the feminine part of the princess couldn't help but gush about her new fiance, as they sat together in Riza's bedroom, while the queen was busy deciding on a dress to wear for the Xingese emperor's official welcoming.

"Well, let's just say it was so perfectly...Ed," Winry began as she sat down next to Rebecca on the bed. Helena was standing by the wardrobe in the corner with the queen, offering her own input on fashion choices while also listening amusedly to the two women. Margaret, after pleading incessantly with her caretaker, had also joined them and was busy admiring the queen's pretty fabrics.

"Did he have a speech prepared? As dorky as he tends to be, he still strikes me as the kind of man who would have a whole monologue prepared."

Winry giggled at that. "I don't know if I'd call it a  _speech_ , per se, but it certainly did have some rather creative language."

"What did he say?" Rebecca prodded excitedly.

"Well," the princess began in a gossipy tone, not noticing the way her sister's eyes rolled from the corner of the room. "He took me on a walk through the gardens. His exact words were that he figured it'd be 'romantic, or some shit'."

Rebecca snorted at that. "Of course."

"Then, in his incredibly romantically-inclined Edward Elric way, he blurted out something about equivalent exchange."

"What's that?"

"An alchemy principal, apparently. The whole science rests on this idea that you can't gain something if you don't give something else in return. When I asked him about it, he just pointed at me with his cheeks as red as a tomato, and said he'd give me half of his life if I gave him half of mine."

"Aww, that's actually really cute, in a weird way," Rebecca offered.

"Basically," Winry responded with a small blush. "Then, in my own incredibly romantically-inclined way, I yelled that that was a stupid idea and I should just give him my whole life."

Rebecca couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh sweetie, you dug yourself a hole without even realizing it."

Winry scoffed. "Pretty much. I got so embarrassed that I immediately went back on it. I'm pretty sure I had a whole conversation with just myself, as I reasoned that eighty-five percent would be the appropriate amount to give. Ed just burst out laughing at me, telling me how incredible he thought I was." Here, Winry's cheeks reddened further and a soft smile graced her face. "We then made it official after that. There was hugging...maybe a little bit of kissing...and we agreed we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. He didn't give me anything, since I already have his crest, you know, but he promises he has plans for a ring. Really, he just wanted to make it official as soon as possible. We both didn't see a point in waiting."

Rebecca put her hands to her mouth to slightly muffle her squeals and 'aww's. "That's so adorable! You guys are the cutest!"

From the corner, still busily sorting through dresses, Helena spoke up. "That is very sweet, Winry. We're all so happy for you."

"Do I get to be the flower girl?" Margaret immediately asked, momentarily taking her attention away from Riza's wardrobe.

Winry's face lit up excitedly. "Well, of course! Honestly I should've been condemned if I thought of choosing anyone else. You're  _the_ flower girl."

Squealing happily, the Amestrian princess twirled around before hugging Winry around the knees, a gesture the princess happily returned.

"There  _is_ a lot of planning to be done," Riza reminded them all, having silently listened to her sister recount all the details of the proposal that she had already related to her while they lay in the same bed the night before, giggling happily.

Winry let out a sigh. "Tell me about it. I've been thinking about everything that needs to be arranged ever since Ed asked me and it makes my head spin. I don't even know whether we're going to do it in Aerugo or Amestris."

Without missing a beat, Riza paused with a dress in her hands to speak, "Oh that's an easy one. It'll be here."

Turning wide eyes toward her sister, Winry asked, "Wait, really? I thought you would fight to have it in Aerugo."

"Why would I do that? Mother got married in Aerugo, even though she was from Amestris. When you marry Ed, you will no longer be Aerugonian. It only seems right to have it here."

"Are you sure?" Winry asked uneasily, knowing that, despite how calm Riza seemed, the idea of her no longer being an Aerugonian was a difficult one for her to come to terms with. Riza nobly kept her feelings to herself, but the princess knew she had plenty of qualms about the idea.

"Of course I'm sure, Winry. You shouldn't be worrying about things like this. This is an exciting time in your life, don't let the stress of planning the wedding ruin it all. Besides, I've already made arrangements to take on a good portion of the details, so you won't have to worry over them."

"But I can't ask you to do that, Riza. Not on top of all your other duties."

With a reassuring glance in her sister's direction, Riza responded. "If mother were still alive, you'd expect no less of her. Please, Winry, if this is the one thing I can do to make your life easier until you're married, I'll take it on gladly."

Winry flashed Riza a grateful smile after listening to her confident words. "What did I do to deserve a sister like you?"

The queen returned the sentiment with a soft smile of her own. "Probably whatever I did to deserve one like  _you_. Now, I don't want you to stress about smaller details, but you should have a good idea of what you want for certain things. I've already taken the time to contact the royal seamstress here at the castle. She'll be here tomorrow with fabric samples to get an idea of what you want for your wedding gown," Riza spoke, business as usual.

"Wow, I haven't even  _thought_  about what I want for my gown. Everything's happening so fast," the princess admitted.

At this, Rebecca patted her hand knowingly. "It does get overwhelming, but you just have to remember the good things. You're going to marry the love of your life. What's more exciting than that?"

Winry smiled happily for her friend, but still couldn't get rid of the nagging thought in her mind concerning her sister. Riza had always made it a point to take on whatever she could in order to please everyone around her. It had, multiple times, been her biggest downfall. And while the princess was grateful for the help, she felt as though her sister didn't know what she was getting into. On top of planning her wedding, she'd also be in the middle of vitally important trade negotiations with other rulers, as well as investigating the dangerous Republic group. And then, of course, there were the many questions concerning her relationship with Roy.

Her sister's attempt to be noble and take on the wedding planning so Winry could enjoy this time was admirable, but the princess had a sinking suspicion that it would do more harm than good.


	4. Chapter 4

" _Hey, that's not fair!" a young girl with short blonde hair exclaimed indignantly to her raven-haired playmate._

_The smirk that crossed his face made him look far older than his ten years would suggest. He had a hand placed firmly on his hip and was holding the other up far above the little girl's head, her favorite toy of his clutched tightly in his hand._

_She reached for it a few times, letting out indignant huffs each time she was unsuccessful and narrowed her eyes angrily at his self-satisfied grin._

" _Life's not fair. You're always taking my stuff, it's about time you got a taste of your own medicine," the boy replied._

_At his words, the young girl stopped her vain attempts to snag the toy from his hands, cursing the height his extra three years had on her, before she crossed her arms and lifted her chin haughtily._

" _You're really mean. I thought boys were supposed to be nice to the ladies."_

_If possible, the boy's smirk grew wider at that. "You don't seem like much of a lady to me. Besides, you should do what I say anyway. Mama says we're going to be married one day."_

_The little girl's face scrunched up in disgust at his words. "Ew, gross, I don't want to marry_ you _. I'd rather eat a frog for dinner."_

_This time it was the raven-haired boy's turn to take on an indignant look. "W-well, you don't get a choice! What Mama says goes."_

" _So? Your mama isn't_ my  _mama. And I_ don't  _want to marry you."_

" _Well, tough! You'll have to. Hey! Quit it! Stop chasing me. Try acting more like a girl instead of a little demon."_

_The blonde girl let out a rather sadistically happy laugh as she began chasing the raven-haired boy around the gardens, intent on claiming his toy for herself once again. Watching the display with worried eyes was the Queen of Aerugo as well as Lady Helena._

_Cordelia let out a long sigh as she watched the young prince and princess fight. "Perhaps we should stop encouraging their behavior. I'm worried they'll carry this animosity even after they've grown."_

" _Oh, I wouldn't worry about that too much, dear," Helena reassured, an amused glint appearing in her eyes as Riza managed to push the Amestrian prince down and take back the toy that had started their argument in the first place. "They're both very strong-willed, it's true, but something tells me if they get out all their frustrations in childhood, it'll make their future marriage better once they've matured."_

" _I hope you're right," Cordelia replied in an unsure tone. "I'd hate for either of them to be unhappy when they're together. As much as I look forward to the joining of our kingdoms, I still feel Riza's unhappiness would be a high price to pay."_

_It was silent a moment as the two elder women thought about what had been said, before Helena replied in a knowing voice. "Something tells me those two have a lot more in common than what we see now. I think they'll make a great team one day, even if it's difficult to imagine."_

_Cordelia made a noise of affirmation before nodding her head. "Yes, we can certainly hope for it. Riza! Come here, Riza dear!" the Aerugonian queen shouted, deciding to finally put an end to the children's fight. Quickly turning toward her mother's voice, Riza begrudgingly relinquished the toy, shot Roy one last dirty look, and ran over to her mother._

" _What is it, Mama?" the young girl eagerly asked._

_Cordelia smiled down at her daughter. "Let's go for a walk, how does that sound?"_

" _Okay!" Riza answered, all previous annoyance completely washed away by the prospect of an adventure with her mother._

_The two Aerugonian royals walked hand-in-hand for a while, simply enjoying the crisp summer weather in each other's company. Suddenly, and without any kind of warning, the scenery around them changed abruptly. Instead of the blooming palace gardens, they began walking through a dark and dreary forest. The trees were practically closing in on them as they walked._

_A thrill of fear shot down the young girl's back as she clutched to her mother's hand tightly. "Mama? Where are we?"_

_In quite the contrast to her daughter's feelings, Queen Cordelia looked to be perfectly at ease, as she pushed aside some of the forest foliage and beckoned her daughter closer._

" _We're going to go for a swim, Little Riza. You've always liked the water, right?"_

_There was something about her mother's eerily calm voice that made the young princess feel even more ill at ease. She dutifully followed after her mother's steps only to come upon a strange pond in the middle of a clearing._

" _Come, Little Riza! Let's swim!" the queen spoke in an excited tone before she abruptly let go of her daughter's hand and jumped freely into the water. Riza's eyes widened and she shouted at her mother's figure as it reappeared at the surface._

" _Mama!"_

" _Come, Riza, it won't hurt you!"_

" _Mama, I want to go back home. This place scares me."_

" _It'll be alright, dear. Come on in, the water's great."_

" _N-no, I don't want to."_

" _Come, Riza. You're so close. Follow after me."_

" _Riiiiizzzzaaaaaa."_

A shot of lighting illuminated Queen Riza's bedroom and she shot up from her bed with a startled gasp. She worked hard to get her breathing under control as she listened to the sounds of the summer storm raging outside her window. She placed a hand on her head as she tried to rid her mind of the horrible nightmare.

It had been a while since she had dreamed anything like that. Right after she almost died in the pond, she'd had a few similar dreams. They all started with a familiar memory, before they suddenly warped into an eerie and terrifying reminder of what had happened. Every one of them ended with her mother's calm and serene voice beckoning her into the water. Everytime she awoke, she'd had to fight to not hop on a horse and ride deep into the eastern forest.

This time somehow felt different, however. It wasn't winter. The wind wasn't whistling against the window. The queen had thought she finally rid herself of the godawful reminders that kept her up at night, but here she was, having another one months since her last, randomly in the middle of a summer storm.

A gripping fear overtook the queen's nearly shaking body. She hated feeling like this. Hated knowing how easy it would be to go under the water, see her parents again, and live happily in whatever dimension they were currently residing in. She knew she had things to live for back here. She had Winry. She had Roy. But she still felt the temptation to follow her mother's calls almost as clearly as that first time last winter.

She let out a shaking breath, not knowing what she was supposed to do in this situation. It wouldn't be enough to remind herself of the ones she loved. Whatever was happening right now was a completely different beast to deal with, so her old tricks would prove futile.

She made her way out of bed and grabbed her nearby robe, wrapping it around herself for some kind of warped sense of protection. She had to keep the voices away. She had to remember her duty and her purpose. Winry was getting married soon. A vitally important peace treaty was in the works that would spell incredible success for her kingdom. She was fiercely in love with that raven-haired boy from her childhood. She had a meaning here. She had a job to do.

So why did she feel like giving it all up? Why did she suddenly want to curl up in a ball and let out every pent up emotion that had been building within her steadily for months, hell, maybe even years? Was it because of everything that was going on? Though they were exciting events, everything that was happening all at once had begun to fray the wound-up queen's already fragile emotions. Was this some kind of byproduct of the upcoming weeks' stresses? She wasn't even sure who to turn to for answers.

Suddenly, as another flash of lighting illuminated her bedroom once more and a booming thunder echoed throughout the castle, the only possible solution she could think of hit her with the force of a typhoon. Immediately, she ran to slip on a pair of shoes, tugged her robe tighter around herself, grabbed a nearby candle, and rushed out of her room, intent on one very particular location within the castle.

Almost as soon as she was out in the oppressively dark castle corridors, her eyes turned down the hallway that would lead her to the stables. Even with the dangerous storm, the temptation to follow after her mother's calls was almost too much to bear. It began to frighten the queen even more that she wasn't even  _hearing_  a voice and yet she still felt the call to the pond. She shook away those thoughts, in an attempt to replace them with thoughts of those she had here to rely on, before she took determined steps to her one refuge.

While going to Winry's bedroom and waking her was a possibility, the fact that her younger sister had never actually gone into the water of the pond dispelled all thoughts of turning to her. While her sister could certainly comfort her, she couldn't really talk her down from the overwhelming temptation. Riza had no doubt that Winry wasn't feeling what she was feeling now, even if her younger sister had heard her mother's voice that first time.

No, there was only one person who would understand. Only one person who could help her.

As soon as the queen turned into the royal family's private wing, a feeling of doubt and uncertainty began to creep up on her. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea after all. It would look rather suspicious if someone found her randomly wandering into the king's private wing this late at night. She still had a reputation to uphold, even after everything they had been through, and this was a risky move.

Nearly turning back around after talking herself out of going to him, she was immediately stopped by a surprised voice from behind her. "Y-Your Majesty!? Is something wrong?"

The queen immediately turned to find one of Roy's personal servants staring at her with wide eyes. He was holding a candle of his own, no doubt patrolling the hallways to check up on the guards posted at night.

Not able to think of any viable excuse, and knowing exactly what it looked like for her to be here, Riza said the only thing that could help her in this situation. "Y-yes! I-I need to speak to the king immediately. It's...it's an emergency!"

While not particularly true, it did the job well enough, as the servant widened his eyes and straightened up, before leading her with desperate footsteps to where Roy was no doubt sleeping in his bedroom. He stopped her outside the main door, nodded to the two guards posted outside, and gave her quick instructions. The king's bedroom was divided into a primary sitting room and the main bedchambers. The servant would allow her the privacy to awake the king herself, and for this she was incredibly grateful.

Riza stepped through the main door into the dark and empty sitting room. Suddenly, now that she was here in one of the few places in the castle that was completely and privately Roy's, she felt as though she was overstepping her boundaries. What was she even thinking awakening the king from his sleep so secretively like this? As she nervously made her way to the door on the other side of the room that divided the two parts of the bedroom, she took a quick cursory glance around. The sitting room was neat and tidy with a few scattered chairs and couches and what looked to be a fireplace in the corner. Riza couldn't help but give a small and fond smile as she passed what looked to be a desk, covered in hastily scribbled notes and scrolls and other random paraphernalia that marked it as the king's.

Before she could talk herself out of it, knowing she had made it this far, Riza stepped up to the door leading into the actual bedchambers and knocked loud enough to rouse someone from their sleep. She still felt utterly foolish, but the pull to see her mother was ever-present, and she just knew letting it fester like this could only spell disaster.

Swimming in her own thoughts, she didn't even take the time to register the sounds of soft footsteps shuffling up to the door before it was unceremoniously swung aside and Riza met Roy's startled eyes with a shocked expression.

"R-Riza!?" he immediately spoke in a startled voice, still groggy from being suddenly awoken.

The queen couldn't even form words as suddenly every part of her brain began screaming that she was a goddamn idiot and this had been a terrible idea. Even given the severity of the situation at hand, Riza wanted to facepalm herself as her eyes, almost against their will, widened and drifted down the king's body.

Clearly having been fast asleep before she arrived, not taking any time to cover himself, Roy stood before her in nothing but a loose pair of sleeping pants. His hair was dishevelled and his eyes, though shocked, were slowly adjusting to the light from her candle.

"I-I...uh," Riza attempted, though as soon as the sounds passed through her lips, she knew it was a useless cause. She had never seen him in such a...state of undress before and was finding it very difficult to focus on what was happening (let alone form a coherent sentence) as her eyes drifted slowly down his conspicuously toned chest.

Ignoring her rather appreciative once over in favor of picking up on the signs of panic and fear, Roy immediately stepped forward and grasped Riza's upper arms, apparently thinking she was about to fall over. It was a poor choice on his part, she realized, as the distance between them practically vanished. The fact that the queen only came up to his chin didn't help matters much either.

"What are you doing here….what's wrong?" Roy questioned, picking up even more of a sense of dread and concern from the mute queen. He knew her well enough at this point to know that she wouldn't show up unannounced at the door to his bedchambers without a good reason.

"I-I...I'm sorry," she finally managed to get out as she tried to keep her eyes off the king's form. "I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have woken you," she quickly let out as she shook her head and twisted herself out of his grip, immediately turning to head back to the main doors, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Wait! Wait a second Riza, hold on," Roy spoke, the undertones of sleep dissipating from his voice as the gravity of the situation started to register. He reached forward to grab her arm and gently turned her back to face him. He took the candle she was gripping with a white-knuckled grasp and set it down on a nearby side table. The queen nearly melted when both his hands moved to gently cup her face, forcing her eyes to meet his.

"You wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important. Tell me what's wrong." The concern practically dripping from his words managed to make Riza feel a little bit more at ease with her decisions. He didn't seem upset or wary. He sounded genuinely concerned, and the queen couldn't help but concede at least some of her reservations.

She let out a long sigh before, almost unconsciously, she leaned her head further into one of his hands. "I had a terrible nightmare," she finally admitted.

Understanding dawned on the king as his eyes softened and he pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms securely around her form. Again, not his best decision, but there wasn't much either of them could do about it now.

The queen sighed against his bare skin and felt her muscles relax as his hand circled comfortingly across her back. "Oh, my love," he whispered with an accompanying kiss to the top of her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered.

Riza sighed again and shook her head in his embrace. "I-I'm not sure. It's not so much the nightmare that's bothering me as it is what I'm feeling now."

"What does that mean?" the king asked in confusion, not stopping his comforting motions.

"I dreamed about my mother, Roy. About the pond. I felt her calling me in my sleep. I can almost still feel her calling me now. It's different from before, though. I don't hear her physically but I can almost  _feel_ the pull. Feel the temptation. I nearly headed to the stables instead of here to find you. I couldn't think of anyone else who could help me," she related, her voice breaking as she went on, finally letting the confusion and the fear from before begin to resurface the more comfortable she became in the king's embrace.

She wasn't looking at his face to notice, but Roy's eyes flashed in understanding before he pulled apart from her without warning. Almost immediately, Riza noticed herself become colder without the warmth of his arms around her. She looked up at him and was shocked to find a peculiar sense of determination in his eyes. He leaned down to grab her hand and turned toward his bedchambers. "Come here, I think I know what to do."

The queen had a minor moment of indecision as he leaned down to blow out her candle and the room was plunged into darkness, only illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning. He started to lead her to the other room and Riza couldn't help but feel a small amount of fear. Was...was he suggesting something like...no, she immediately shook the thought away. There was something about the way his eyes looked down on her, that peculiar wisdom behind them, that suggested he knew exactly what to do in this situation. And really, that was why she had come to him in the first place wasn't it?

She followed him into the other room and he immediately closed the door behind them. With anyone else, Riza would've been gripped by the fear and the uncertainty of such a...suggestive situation, but she found, as she continued to look at his eyes in the darkness, a strange sense of comfort and familiarity. She trusted him, more than she trusted almost anyone else in the world, save her younger sister.

After closing the door, he wrapped his arms around her form again, burying his nose in her hair. "I know what you're feeling, love. I had countless nightmares like that after going into the pond the first time, and after I saved you. I still have them every so often. It's not a fun thing to deal with, but it does happen. And it doesn't really go away."

Riza nodded in acknowledgement of his words, though she wasn't feeling incredibly encouraged by them.

"I always used to do something to occupy myself when the feelings came on again. It's scarier than hearing the calls directly, so I would try and find a way to put my mind on something else. Sometimes I would take walks, research, whatever I needed to do to rid my mind of the temptation. That night we sparred in the southern courtyard I'd had a really bad one."

Understanding dawned on the queen as she remembered that night. She had been shocked, and slightly skeptical, to hear that he had just been wandering around the castle aimlessly in the middle of the night. Now it made a lot more sense.

"So what do you suggest we do?" she questioned, leaning back from him enough to meet his gaze directly.

He softly smiled at her before gently moving her bangs out of her face. "The best way to expel nightmares are to have someone there to help you through them," he spoke in a knowing tone, before his eyes flickered over to his bed. She followed his gaze questioningly before realization struck her and she turned back toward him in surprise.

"We don't have to if you don't want to, I just think you need sleep. True, honest to gods, sleep. Staying awake half the night dealing with nightmares isn't sleep, and something tells me you haven't gotten a full night of rest in a long time."

At these words, Riza sheepishly looked away, knowing he was right, but not wanting to admit it.

"We could stay awake and try and get your mind off of it, or we could just get over whatever outdated sense of propriety is stopping us and comfort each other the best way we can at this point."

The queen mulled over his words, finding a good amount of truth in them despite her initial qualms.

Seeing her continued indecision, Roy spoke again. "We're just going to sleep. On my honor, I can promise you that."

Riza took one last look back at his bed, weighed her options for the umpteenth time, and sighed before finally conceding his point. She was exhausted, that much she couldn't deny. She really hadn't been able to get a full night of sleep in months and it was really starting to fray her, especially with everything else that was going on lately. Something told her the soft rise and fall of Roy's chest beneath her would be just the thing to truly set her mind at ease. She had plenty of reservations, especially given their relationship, but, as was always the case, she trusted him.

"Alright," she finally agreed in a small voice before she flashed him a teasing grin, "But you better not snore."

Roy returned her look with a boyish grin before he led her to the bed, flipped back the top cover and began climbing underneath, Riza promptly following suit.

There were a few moments of awkwardness as the reality of what they were doing weighed down on them both, before Riza sighed and shook her head, dispelling the last of her uncertain thoughts. This wasn't just any man. This was  _Roy_. Her king. She had pictured falling asleep next to him every night for a while now. This wasn't some revolutionary or scandalous thing they were doing. He was there to comfort her, and she there for him. There was no point in dwelling on the implications. She was far too tired for that.

She curled up against his side, her hand resting delicately across his bare chest as his arm wrapped around her and pulled her in tighter. They laid for a while in silence, listening to each other's calming breaths, as Roy's fingers found the chain that rested perpetually around her neck, fiddling with it mindlessly. The ministrations lulled the queen into a blessedly calm and uninterrupted sleep.

* * *

"What do you mean he's still asleep?" Sir Havoc asked in an incredulous voice as he approached where Fuery stood in the hallway outside the king's bedroom.

The bespectacled man sighed and turned toward the main door. "His head servant said he hasn't exited his bedchambers. They brought breakfast, but it's untouched. I'm debating whether I should go in there to wake him up or not. The servants don't want to."

Havoc scoffed at this. "What the hell does it matter? He should've been at the meeting twenty minutes ago. I get that he needs his sleep, but he's also got work to do. A goddamn  _emperor_  is going to be here in a few days."

"I  _know_  that. But he gets kind of testy when you wake him up yourself. You wouldn't know that since it's never your job. He's good enough at getting himself out of bed every morning but every time he doesn't...it's not pretty."

The First Knight couldn't help but roll his eyes at this. "You should learn to get over it. He's a king. He's got a job to do. This isn't the time for beauty sleep. If you won't wake him up, I will," the tall, blonde-haired man declared before he pushed open the main door and walked into the sitting room.

"B-but, he could want his privacy! It's a violation of your position to disrupt that," Fuery offered, not even bothering to step past the threshold.

Again, Havoc rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll remember that." As Fuery watched through the main doors helplessly, the knight demandingly marched to the door leading into the bedchambers, paused to consider the possibility of knocking before he, in his usual crass, no-nonsense manner thought 'to hell with it' and pushed through the door without a single look back.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead. You're late for your meeting and I don't think-," Havoc's words immediately faltered as he pulled aside the curtain that let the sunlight filter into the room and he turned to look toward the center. As soon as his eyes fell on the elaborate bed, he realized with a dreadful clarity that maybe Fuery had been right.

Roy groggily awakened as the bright sun hit his eyes. He rolled and grumbled and stretched before his eyes finally adjusted and he sat up completely unawares. "Havoc?" he asked curiously as he caught a glimpse of his thoroughly shocked knight standing stock-still by the window. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I-I...think the better question is...w-what is  _she_ doing here?" Havoc stuttered out, his brain immediately thinking up whatever convoluted ways the king was going to murder him.

A look of confusion overtook Roy's face, before he turned to where his head knight had indicated, promptly saw his blonde queen lying beside him (even though she was also beginning to awaken from her restful sleep), widened his eyes before immediately narrowing them dangerously as he turned back to Havoc.

"I-I'm s-sorry. I had n-no idea that…" the blonde knight spoke in a shaking voice as the full force of the king's anger was directed on him.

"Shut the door, Havoc," Roy gritted out angrily. Not wasting a second, his head court member rushed to the bedchamber door and shut it quickly, turning guiltily back to the very perturbed raven-haired king.

"What...the hell...are you doing here?" the king asked again, his voice shaking with barely-contained fury. Beside him, the Aerugonian queen was slowly awakening, as she stretched and sat up in the bed. Her eyes almost immediately found Havoc's and she let out a resigned sigh at the sight of him.

"Oh, wonderful. Somehow I knew this would happen."

Momentarily distracted from his anger at his First Knight, Roy turned back to Riza and gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry. It's my fault for forgetting the blackout curtains. We could've had the sun wake us up instead of...him," the king said with a nod of his head in Havoc's direction.

Said knight merely tried to get a handle on his shaking limbs before he gulped nervously. "I really am sorry, Your Majesty. I had no idea. You were just late to your morning meeting, so I..."

"Wait," Roy quickly spoke, interrupting Havoc's words. "What time is it?"

"Uhh, almost 9:30 in the morning," the knight informed nervously.

"Fuck," Roy immediately let out in response as the realization that he had slept in struck him full force.

"Watch your language, Your Majesty, there is still a queen present," Riza added in flat voice, looking surprisingly calm given the situation at hand. Roy lifted an eyebrow at her, but said nothing as Havoc continued.

"L-look, I promise I won't say anything, okay? You have my word. Knight's honor," he said as he placed his hand over his heart to help prove his case.

Instead of letting his bubbling anger boil over, Roy turned back to the queen, eyeing her curiously and silently asking what her thoughts were on all of this. Looking between the two men, Riza sighed and lifted the covers before hopping out of the large bed. She grabbed her robe from where she had placed it the night before and wrapped it around her body, trying to stay calm and collected, despite the mortifying embarrassment that was lurking within her.

"Sir Havoc, you can make whatever assumptions you'd like, I don't really care. It doesn't change the fact that I simply woke up in the middle of the night, couldn't get back to sleep, and came here for help before falling asleep in the king's bed. All I need from you now is your dedication to your promise of secrecy, and help getting back to my own bedroom without anyone else figuring all this out. Got it?"

The deathly seriousness of her tone made the blonde knight almost more afraid of what  _she'd_  do to him if he blabbed more than what his own king would do. He gulped again and nodded his head, offering up his promise once more for reassurance. He then quickly turned tail and ran out of the room to work on getting the queen back to her bedroom in private.

Watching his form as he retreated, Riza heaved another heavy sigh before turning back to Roy. "Well that lasted about as long as I thought it would."

Despite everything, Roy couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he got up from the bed and walked over to where she stood. "If it makes you feel any better, Havoc is trustworthy." He paused as his face scrunched up at a particularly unfortunate thought. "I can't make any promises that he'll keep it from Rebecca, though."

Riza rolled her eyes at that. "Of course."

Quickly, Roy's hands found their way around her waist and he flashed her an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry about this."

"Don't be," she answered. "For what it's worth, I don't regret coming here. We just need to be more careful."

"We will be next time."

Riza lifted a curious eyebrow at that. "Oh really? And what makes you so sure I'm going to find my way into your bed again?"

A familiar smirk spread across Roy's face as he leaned further down toward her lips. "You know, you really shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not?" the queen asked in a quiet voice as Roy's lips began toying their way around hers, teasing her with light caresses but never fully covering her own. The man was downright devious when he wanted to be.

"Because I might just have to make it a point to prove you wrong."

The low, husky tone of his voice combined with the dark look in his eyes nearly made the queen's knees weak, as much as she hated to admit it. Their lips, after ghosting around each other, had almost finally met before a loud and nervous voice from the other room called in a much too exaggerated tone, "Your Majesty! Ready to go back whenever you are!" Riza had to figure that Havoc had shouted from the sitting room in an effort to not catch them in  _another_ compromising position and, despite the fact that he had interrupted their little moment, she supposed she should feel grateful for it.

She sighed and turned sheepishly back toward Roy, who looked as though the last thing he wanted to do in that moment was let her go. "You should get ready for your meeting. I'll see you later," she told him with a quick peck on his lips, narrowly avoiding his attempt to take it further.

He groaned but let her twist his way out of his embrace. "Fine. Until next time," he said with a suggestive look, which Riza merely returned with a smirk and a roll of her eyes before she was out the door of his bedchambers to let Havoc lead her to the guest rooms wing of the castle.

Roy waited a few moments before he too let out a weighted sigh and turned back to the ruffled sheets of his bed, bemoaning the loss of its newest occupant. He could almost still smell her distinct scent lingering in the air. He shook his head when he realized how love-sick that made him sound, though he found he didn't really care.

He then started to quickly dress to make it to his meeting without wasting any more time, thinking about the next opportunity he'd get to wake up to the sight of a gloriously curvy body curled up next to him and the richness of Riza's chocolate-brown eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

The Queen of Aerugo prided herself on her ability to keep her emotions under wraps when the appropriate time came. It was one of the many tools she used against the ones who underestimated her (which seemed to be most people, she thought bitterly). Her stoic, no-nonsense persona hid her true feelings in situations where being discreet worked to her advantage. She'd had years of practice.

But right now, she had to do everything in her power not to burst out laughing.

Her younger sister let out another choked gasp as the Amestrian seamstress-from-hell tightened her measuring tape around Winry's waist for the umpteenth time, a pin held between her teeth and her brow furrowed tight. The poor princess looked completely overwhelmed and quite frankly fed up with the careful attentions the aging woman was giving her.

Riza knew she probably shouldn't be as amused with the situation as she was, but she couldn't help the small grin that would break out every so often, despite the queen's best efforts to wrangle it in. She certainly wasn't delighting in her sister's distress, but rather the sheer ridiculousness of the situation and the fact that it was even a problem to begin with.

The seamstress took down the measurements, making sure to get the precise circumference before clicking her tongue in a berating gesture. "Such small hips. Hopefully a few babies will help widen them," the seamstress spoke in a voice that sounded more Drachman than Amestrian.

Riza almost snorted through her nose at these words and the practically mortified expression on her sister's face.

"Don't worry, dear. I will make dress beautiful enough even for your small body. You will be most pretty bride."

"T-thank you," the princess managed to get out, even through her tightly gritted teeth.

While the seamstress took a few more last minute measurements (thankfully ones that didn't require being squeezed to death by a piece of measuring tape), a thoughtful expression passed across the aging woman's face.

"You are just like your mother. She blushed red when I said the same thing about her hips. It's hard for girls like you not to be swallowed up in your dresses, but she looked beautiful on her wedding day."

This caught both the sister's immediate attention.

"W-wait. You made our mother's dress?"

"Of course," the woman replied with a hint of pride in her tone. "I am royal Amestrian seamstress. I make all the dresses for all the nobles in this kingdom. Your mother was Amestrian noble, I make her dress. One of my favorites, actually. Is it still in Aerugo?" the woman asked as she left poor Winry alone for a brief minute to sort through the swaths of fabric she had brought with her.

Riza answered. "Yes, it's still with a number of our mother's things held in the Aerugonian archives. All that's missing is…"

"The veil," the seamstress finished for the queen, surprising both her and Winry. "Yes, I know. I heard it was kept here in this kingdom. With the old Aerugonian queen's family."

A faraway look passed across the current Aerugonian queen's face. "Then who knows where it is now. Our mother doesn't have any family left here in Amestris."

The aging seamstress pursed her lips at this comment, but didn't offer a rebuttal. "It's such a shame, too. Such a pretty veil. I did not make, but I know who did. She worked for weeks on that veil. Too bad she's not alive anymore, or else I'd ask her to make a replica."

"That would've been nice," Winry acknowledged sadly, her own far-off look masking her normally cheerful features.

"I can do one thing, though," the seamstress offered, after looking between the two sisters lost deep in thought. They turned to her questioningly and she flashed a toothy smile. "I can make this dress like your mother's dress. I might still have design somewhere. It won't be exact, but similar."

Winry's eyes widened and turned immediately toward her sister. Both Winry and Riza were very familiar with their mother's wedding dress. Though it was held in archives, it was hardly hidden. In fact, their father had shown it to the girls quite a few times, a wistful, yet proud smile on his face. It was a gorgeous dress, with gold embellishments and lacy material adorned with pearls. It would be an absolute dream for the princess to have a dress anything like it.

With a small smile from her sister offering her approval, Winry turned toward the elder woman. "I would love that," she spoke sincerely.

Dramatically clapping her hands together the seamstress advanced on the princess and boldly placed her hands on her cheeks. "Good! I will make you look just like mother! Young girl scared, but excited to marry. You will be most beautiful bride."

Though still wary of the liberties this strange woman took, Winry still smiled happily at her, finally revelling in the excitement of her upcoming nuptials for the first time since her sister had sat her down to get her opinion on  _all_  the necessary wedding details. Riza had woken her sister up early that morning to discuss everything with her and the princess had felt like she was drowning ever since. But now, with the possibility of a gorgeous dress just like her mother's to walk down the aisle in, the bride-to-be let the joyful occasion finally wash over her.

Riza watched her sister's expression become more and more delighted the longer the seamstress went over the exact details of the dress. The queen crossed her arms and observed the pair fondly. Though she, once again, kept the majority of her feelings to herself, the idea of Winry getting married in a replica of their mother's dress almost made her want to cry, though not out of grief or sadness, but out of a joy for the future ahead. Seeing Winry like this, when only a year ago one of the worst things had ever happened to her, laughing and joyful and ready to marry a man she loved so dearly elated the queen more than she could even describe.

The seamstress finished up everything she needed to do, grabbed her fabrics with an excited air that almost matched the two sisters', and finally left them alone. Riza then immediately told her sister she was going to go for a walk around the castle, needing some time to herself (and knowing her poor sister had sat through enough gritty details for one day).

As Winry rushed off to spend some time with her fiance, Riza leisurely strolled down the halls of the great Amestrian castle, her light green dress swishing as she moved. It was honestly surreal to be here planning her younger sister's wedding...and to an Amestrian, no less. If someone had told her even a year ago that this is where she would've been in life, she would've laughed in their face. Parts of all of this did sometimes feel like a dream, but she constantly was reminding herself that this was where they had ended up: Winry happily engaged to an Amestrian knight, and Riza in love with the Amestrian king.

How did they get so lucky?

A soft smile graced the queen's face as she rounded a familiar corner and passed the entrance to the great dining hall. She peeked inside to find a flurry of activity, as the castle servants were busy decorating the space for the arrival of the Xingese emperor, now only two short days away. Riza had never seen such a spectacle before as she lifted an eyebrow at the draping fabrics and fine silverware being placed on tables for the opening banquet. Not even her own arrival had warranted such a showing.

Riza had to figure Roy was going all out for Emperor Ling. Though he tried to keep his excitement contained, Riza could easily tell he was thrilled about the possible trade route being formed between Amestris and Xing (and thus subsequently Aerugo). She figured this was something he had been trying to arrange for far longer than he let on, possibly ever since he was coronated. The sudden rise of the young Xingese man (the one who had vastly different beliefs than his rigid and traditional father) finally allowed Roy's plans to come to fruition. He had been overseeing all the preparations with a careful, though still anticipatory, eye. Even now, he was being shown around the hastily prepared dining hall by Lady Helena, the queen noticed. Poor Helena had been tasked with all such preparations, and wasn't able to fulfill her other duties as regularly. That must explain why Princess Margaret was tagging along with her father and her caretaker, looking bored out of her mind.

The queen couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she watched, slightly hidden behind the doorway, while the princess wandered over to a table to inspect the silver and gold cutlery, probably looking for something of possible interest to her, before Roy called her back over in a reprimanding tone, reminding her to stay close.

Poor girl, swept up in all of Roy's stress, his obsession with making things perfect for the Xingese party getting in the way of her acting like a normal child. She couldn't even run around the castle like she'd always used to, her father afraid she'd mess something up in her adventures.

While Helena pointed something out to the king and they both turned to observe it, discussing details in small whispers, Riza took the time to peek her head further around the door to get the little princess's attention. The trio had wandered close enough to the main entrance for Riza's voice to be heard, as she leaned forward and called to Margaret in a hushed voice.

The little girl started at hearing her name, before she looked around in confusion for the source. When her eyes fell on Riza, they practically lit up and, after quickly glancing at her father and caretaker to make sure they were distracted enough not to notice, she rushed over to the queen.

"Riza!" she let out an excited, though no less quiet, tone.

The queen smiled down at the child. "Hello Margaret. You look like you're having a lot of fun," she posed sarcastically, amazed that the young princess caught onto her tone right away, the girl's eyes immediately narrowing.

Margaret let out an exasperated huff before giving the queen a pout. "Papa won't let me out of Helena's sight. He says I'm going to mess something up. All they do is walk around and talk about drapes and forks. I'm so  _bored_!"

"I can imagine," Riza sympathized. "From where I'm standing it doesn't look very exciting either. How would you like to go on a little adventure with me?"

Immediately the princess's whole countenance brightened. "Yes, please! B-but...how will you get past Lady Helena and Papa?"

A twinkle appeared in the queen's eyes. "Well...let's just say it's convenient that I'm in your father's good graces. Come on," Riza spoke, before she let down her hand for the young princess to grasp. Margaret did so readily, excited to finally be doing something fun as Riza led them back into the great hall and calmly up to where Helena and Roy were still busily discussing the details of the party.

Riza cleared her throat with all her regal grace, and the pair turned toward them in surprise. Both their eyes widened even further to see Princess Margaret happily looking up at them, her hand securely resting in the queen's.

"Ri...Your Majesty! What are you doing here?" Roy began, his near slip of her name not going unnoticed by Lady Helena. "I hope Margaret hasn't been bothering you," the king said, his voice becoming reprimanding as he glanced down at his daughter, who remained the picture of perfect innocence.

The queen nearly rolled her eyes. "I think you're doing a better job of bothering  _her,_ at the moment," Riza immediately said, her own voice becoming accusatory.

Roy lifted an eyebrow at her before he sighed in resignation once he realized what she meant. "There's not a whole lot I can do about that right now. Not with this one's propensity for causing trouble," the king said, his eyes once more drifting down toward his daughter. The little girl met her father's glare with one of her own and Riza almost shook her head at how alike the two were.

"Then how about I spend the rest of the day with her? You're both too busy and it's not fair for Margaret to just sit around. She needs a little bit more excitement."

Roy's eyes widened at the offer. "Are you sure?"

Riza smiled. "Yes, I'm sure." She looked down at the young princess before turning back to the king. "I'm confident we can find plenty of fun things to do. I promise I won't get us into too much trouble."

Roy's skeptical expression was enough to inform Riza what his feelings were on  _that_ actually happening, but he still seemed to weigh the possibility. He was frightfully busy, and had been for a while now. Helena was probably even more so, and someone had to keep Margaret somewhat contained. The king let out a hefty sigh and nodded his head.

"Alright," he conceded, and almost immediately his daughter let out an excited squeal. "You do whatever the queen says, alright Margaret? Or else you'll be in a heap of trouble," the king tried to make his voice sound serious, but he could tell it was a lost cause. The mischievous look both Riza and his daughter shared made him quite ill at ease, but he was out of options at that point.

"Of course Papa!" Margaret agreed with a small giggle before she tugged on the queen's hand and began practically dragging the woman from the dining hall. Riza shot Roy and Helena one last delightful smile before she and the princess were out the door.

The king let loose yet another sigh. "Those two will be the death of me, Helena," he lamented.

The elder woman couldn't help but smile, though she said nothing as they continued with what they were discussing previously.

* * *

"So where are we going, Queen Riza?" Margaret immediately asked almost as soon as they were back in the hallway outside the dining hall.

"Well," Riza began, that mischievous smile still on her face as she turned toward the young girl. "I've been wanting to go all the way up to the top spire of the castle for a long time now. Every time I've tried to find a stairwell or entrance, though, I've gotten lost. Something tells me you know the way up there," the queen said with a sly smirk.

Margaret let out a small giggle, looked back to the dining hall where her two disciplinarians still were, before beginning in a low voice, "Maaaybe. I can show you the way, but you have to promise not to tell Papa."

Riza leaned in close. "Your secret will be safe with me."

The two girls nearly rushed toward the center of the castle where the staircases became long and winding and the walls started to narrow in as the castle came to its decisive top point. Riza had a strange desire to get to the top of the highest spire, to observe the capital city of Amestris from its most elevated point. Though she knew if Roy found out about this he'd let loose on both Margaret  _and_ her, but she figured it was worth the risk. The young princess was clearly up for the secretive challenge, and the queen certainly relished her time with the young girl.

Finally, the pair arrived not far from what Riza knew to be the highest room of the castle proper, a simple observation study that had windows circling its round shape. While a good place to observe the lands, she knew it wouldn't compare to the roof of the spire.

Margaret suddenly leaned in close, in case anyone was nearby. The top of the castle was usually vacant, but the young girl wasn't willing to take chances. Her father had strictly forbidden her venturing this far and would be downright furious if he found out what she was going to do (and what she had done plenty of times before). "Okay, the staircase leading up to the spire is behind a bookshelf in the lookout room."

Riza couldn't help but lift an eyebrow at that. "And how did you find that out? Surely you're not away from Lady Helena long enough to just stumble upon such a thing."

Margaret let loose a sly smirk before she giggled. "I tricked a servant into telling me where it was."

Riza blankly stared at the spot the princess had once occupied as the girl promptly turned and dashed inside the unlocked room, beginning to move aside the bookshelf to reveal the secret entrance. She couldn't help but wonder just how conniving the little princess really was.  _Like father, like daughter_  the queen supposed.

Not giving the issue another thought, she followed the princess into the room just in time to see Margaret move a particular book on the shelf, which immediately gave way as the sound of a lock undoing rang out. The queen helped the little girl push aside the bookcase door, revealing a narrow and steep staircase. It was dark, save for a few spots in the stone where whoever had built the highest part of the Amestrian castle must have gotten lazy in the final steps of construction and didn't arrange the stones so they lay flush to each other. That didn't give the queen a lot of faith on the structural integrity of the spire, but she shook the nerves away, reached down for Margaret's hand, and they made the somewhat treacherous climb up the creaky staircase.

The only thing that greeted them at the top, however, was a stone ceiling. Riza was about to questioningly turn toward the princess before the little girl reached up in the small space between the last step and the top, and unlocked a hinge door the queen hadn't even noticed. She grunted and huffed as she struggled to push the thing up and aside, before the queen helped her get it the rest of the way over, bathing them in the blinding light of the summer afternoon sun. A gust of wind also greeted the pair as Margaret unceremoniously climbed up out of the hole, and beckoned Riza forth once more.

The queen had her fair share of trepidations about the situation, realizing that this might not have been the  _best_ idea before she sighed, pushed them aside, and climbed out of the hole as the princess had. When she got to her feet and observed the scene before her she nearly gasped in awe.

The wind made her dress billow out and parts of her hair fall from her expertly crafted bun as she stepped to the side of the spire and gazed out at the entirety of the Amestrian capital city, never having been this high up in her entire life.

"Oh, wow," the queen breathed as she took in the sight. She still couldn't get over how magnificent of a place Amestris truly was. The capital city of Aerugo couldn't even come  _close_ to this majesty. The green hills that surrounded the city seemed to stretch on for miles and miles until they dipped into the horizon.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Margaret spoke, her head barely able to peek above the railing.

"It's incredible," Riza answered in a voice barely above a whisper, still too overcome by the beauty of what was before her.

Margaret plopped down on what little space the spire had available while Riza continued observing the kingdom from up above, the wind that whistled past her face refreshing her right down to her toes.

A million thoughts passed through her mind, but she couldn't even begin to sort through them all. It seemed every day she was given new insight into how incredible of a kingdom Amestris was, and how wrong she had once been about it.

"Of all of this, I could be queen," she whispered, voicing the thought at the forefront of her mind.

Finally, after one last look out at the city, she turned back to her companion and plopped down next to her, having to pull her knees up to her chest to fit. She turned and gave Margaret a content and grateful smile. "Thank you for taking me here. I promise I won't tell your father about any of this."

"Good," Margaret returned with smile before it faded and Riza noticed the child take on a more thoughtful look. Something was clearly on her mind.

"What is it?" the queen boldly asked.

The princess looked a little surprised at having been so easily read, but she shook it off quickly enough. She turned toward Riza with a determined look. "Queen Riza, can I ask you something?"

Smiling, Riza replied. "Of course, though you know you don't have to keep calling me 'Queen' Riza, right? I think we're close enough to drop all those formalities, wouldn't you agree?"

Margaret let out a small smile. "Okay,  _Riza,_ can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you like my Papa?"

Once again using her ability to quickly hide her most visceral emotions, Riza let the comment slide over her head, her face betraying none of the shock and sudden uneasiness that overtook her. She suspected Margaret would ask something of this nature eventually. The little girl was far more perceptive than people gave her credit for and she had to know there was at least  _something_ happening between the Queen of Aerugo and her father.

Letting a breath pass through her lips, followed by a nonchalant laugh, the queen answered, "Well, of course I do. Your father is a good man and an excellent king. We butted heads a lot when I first arrived, but I would consider us friends now."

Immediately the princess let out an exasperated huff. "No, no, no, that's not what I meant. Do you  _like_ him? Like  _grown-up_ like him?"

The queen realized with an amused air that the little girl was asking if she loved Roy, in her own childlike way. She wasn't quite sure yet how to explain it to the princess yet, and she sputtered for a few moments as she tried to find her words.

"M-Margaret," the queen began, fighting the blush from appearing on her cheeks. "It's...a bit complicated."

"Why? You either do or you don't. Papa talks about you a lot, and every time he does, he smiles. And you smile when you talk about him too. It's just made me think a lot. Do you like my dad the way my mama liked him?"

Riza's eyes widened imperceptibly at the child's words.  _Like her mother liked him. Or rather, like she_ loved  _him,_ the queen realized. She knew very little of Roy and Isabella's relationship, and had avoided broaching the subject with the king as much as possible, waiting until he revealed what he felt was necessary. She knew he'd loved her...fiercely, but she didn't know any of the particulars. Discussing this with Isabella's daughter was diving into dangerous territory, even if the young girl remembered nothing of the late Amestrian queen.

"You know those are personal questions, Margaret," Riza admonished gently. "Your father probably wouldn't take too kindly to you asking me them."

Margaret deflated slightly at her words, but the queen knew better than to think she was done. "I know, but...It's just...there hasn't been a queen here for a long time. I think you'd be a good one."

Riza couldn't help but smile down at the girl fondly, a strange warmth spreading throughout her body at the sincerity of Margaret's words. "I know you do, but it's not quite as easy as you think."

"Why not?" the princess pressed.

"Because, I have a kingdom of my own. I have people that depend on me back in Aerugo. I can't give all of that up." It was a difficult enough topic for the queen to handle, let alone for a child to understand, but Riza continued on anyway, knowing it was something the little girl should hear.

It was silent a moment as Margaret looked away, seemingly processing these words. Eventually, in a small voice she spoke, "There are people  _here_  that depend on you, though."

Riza's eyes softened even further at the vulnerability the young child was displaying. She truly believed that Riza was the best person to help her father rule the kingdom of Amestris. It was sweet, in a way, and also rather daunting.

"I know, Margaret. Really, I do," the queen said, gently placing a hand atop the young girl's much smaller one. "But if that is even to be a possibility, your father and I would have quite a bit of... _discussing_ to do."

The princess shocked Riza by rolling her eyes at these words. "That's  _all_  you grown-ups do. 'Discuss' things."

The genuine frustration in the princess's tone nearly made Riza burst out laughing, her childish innocence lifting away the weight of the conversation. With a smile, the queen answered. "That's how things get done in the grown-up world, Margaret."

"Yeah, yeah," the young girl brushed off as she stood to her feet with a determined air, signaling the end of their 'discussion'. "I'm getting bored of this place. Let's go explore somewhere else."

Riza merely shook her head and followed after the little girl as she descended back down the old staircase. The queen closed the trap door behind them and let the young princess decide where to run off to next.

* * *

"Ugh, this dress is so stuffy. I don't know how you can wear these high collars all the time, Riza," Winry lamented as the two sisters made their way down the main corridors, heading to the front entrance of the castle. The day of the Xingese emperor's arrival had finally come and nearly everyone of importance in the Amestrian royal household was making their way to the entrance grounds to welcome him and his party.

Riza smiled at her sister's plight. "I've gotten used to them. Quit fidgeting with it, Winry. That makes you look undignified."

The Aerugonian princess rolled her eyes at these words. "So? It's not like I'm going to be a princess for much longer."

"While you technically will lose your royal status when you marry Edward, you'll still be my sister and thus still a princess. Besides, your wedding is a ways away. The arrival of an important foreign leader is today."

Winry sighed and finally stopped readjusting the high color of her expensive dress. "Yeah, I know. I promise I'll be on my best behavior."

"Thank you for that," the queen replied sincerely, though with a slight air of amusement ghosting around the edges of her voice.

"By the way," the princess began after a lull in their conversation. "You look gorgeous today. I don't remember the last time I saw you wear something so...elaborate." The princess's eyes drifted over toward her sister's form and Riza met them with a raised brow.

"Thank you. Though I wouldn't necessarily call these state dresses the height of fashion, they do make me look fairly...important, I suppose."

"Important is the least of it, you look like a goddess."

Riza's dress had been chosen from a multitude of 'state dresses' the queen had brought with her from Aerugo. She had dubbed them that herself, as they were the dresses she only ever wore when fulfilling the most important parts of her job as queen. She had only ever worn any of them a handful of times, namely when she was being coronated and when she officially welcomed the King of Creta to Aerugo all those months ago. Today's gown was made of the finest silver and gray silk, the fabric covered in intricately sewn in designs. A trace of gold thread wove throughout the dress to give it a particularly noticeable sheen while a cape, dyed in the finest and most deep color of red, draped over her back, two pieces of the rich fabric coming to rest across the front of the dress as well. All in all she looked more like a queen today than she had in ages, the only appropriate way to appear before the Xingese royal visitor.

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment, but I assure you this dress is as uncomfortable as it looks, never mind the weight of this damn crown," Riza spoke as she placed a hand softly on the piece of jewelry that rested atop her head. The crown itself was another part of the queen's so-called 'state outfit'. While Riza usually made it a point to wear some sort of symbol of her position even during normal days about the castle, the crowns she usually wore were small, almost nonexistent. This one, however, was large and stood out boldly. It was made with a shining silver, and practically covered in gems of all shapes and colors. It was one of only three of the queen's most elaborate and expensive pieces of royal jewels. The others were the crown she wore at her coronation and one she had specifically reserved for Winry's wedding.

Winry couldn't help but snicker at her sister. "And here I thought I'd  _never_  catch the Queen of Aerugo complaining about the weight of her crown."

Riza narrowed her eyes in return. "Oh, rest assured, I complain plenty about the weight, both the figurative and literal kind. But right now it's especially bad. I can already feel the headache coming on."

"Well hopefully this Emperor Ling guy is pleasant enough, and isn't one to dawdle. That way we can get back inside quickly and start getting ready for the party tonight," the princess spoke in an excited tone.

Riza nearly rolled her eyes. "Of course that's all that's on your mind." Finally the two sisters made it to the main doors of the front entrance and paused before going outside to look each other over one last time.

"Alright," Riza began once the sisters had deemed each other presentable. "We have an emperor to greet. Best behavior, now."

Winry couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yes, mother," she replied in a sarcastic tone which earned her a glare from her sister. The queen then pushed through the front door and walked down to the entrance grounds, where a whole host of people were busy making sure their own appearances were suitable for the occasion.

The queen's eyes surveyed the grounds and found almost all of her friends. Rebecca was busy fixing Havoc's finest tunic while he held a wiggling Anwell in his arms, the boy having grown out of his baby phase, slowing entering into his toddler phase. Sir Breda was making sure the men he had with him were ready to stand at attention, their swords placed ceremoniously at their sides. Lady Helena was running around like a madwoman, apparently the orchestrator behind much of the presentation, as she made sure the staff gathered knew what to do. Winry waved at Alphonse, who waved genially back. He too was dressed to the nines, like nearly everyone else, and was stood closer to the center. The princess and queen casually walked up to him.

"Where's Ed?" Winry asked immediately, to no one's surprise.

Here, the golden-haired knight surprised both women by letting out a small laugh. "Somehow the king roped him into greeting the emperor and his guests at the outer walls."

"Wait," the princess began in a skeptical tone. "You mean to tell me the king wanted the first thing Emperor Ling saw in Amestris was my fiance? What possessed him to make that kind of decision?"

Alphonse looked to be as confused about the choice as she was. "The king told me that, from what he'd heard about Emperor Ling's personality and what'd he'd gathered from their letters, he and Ed would probably get along well. I'm not so sure I believe that."

"Neither do I," Winry spoke in a voice full of dread.

Riza couldn't help but smile. "Ed's well-trained enough not to completely screw everything up. And, even if he did, from what I've heard Emperor Ling is a kind enough man not to let it affect him. Come on, Winry, he should be here any minute and we're supposed to stand by the king."

They said goodbye to Alphonse before Riza led her sister to the center of the entrance grounds, where Roy currently was leaned over giving Princess Margaret a pep talk. He was dressed as well as everyone, donning a red and gold tunic with a sash draped across the front, to symbolize the importance of the occasion. Margaret had on a beautiful pink dress, but was currently fidgeting with it even more than Winry had been with hers. Riza couldn't help but smile fondly at the two of them.

Even as Roy talked, Margaret's eyes wandered until they found the queen and her sister and promptly widened in excitement. "Hi Riza! Hi Winry! You both look so pretty," the little girl exclaimed, completely cutting off her father. But, as he raised himself back up to turn and greet them, it looked as though he didn't really care. His eyes widened and he appreciatively looked particularly Riza over, awed by how much of a queen she looked like in that moment.

"Margaret's right. You both look gorgeous," he spoke with a fond smile.

Before Riza could answer with one of her own, Winry butted in. "Thanks, they feel like getting dropped into a briar patch."

"Winry!" Riza immediately admonished before she turned toward the king as he fought to contain a laugh.

"What a coincidence, that's what Margaret was just saying. The lengths you women go to look nice never ceases to amaze me. Hopefully, this welcoming will be short and then you can go change."

"Yes, let's certainly hope," Winry replied with a twinkle in her eye before she turned back to her still affronted sister, gave her a wink, and moved to her appropriate position.

Lowering her voice so they weren't heard as Margaret went to join Winry, Riza spoke to the king, "You really shouldn't encourage her like that."

"What? A little sarcasm never hurt anyone."

Riza narrowed her eyes at him. "I highly doubt that. And, even so, today is far too important of a day for either of you to be mouthing off like that."

Roy flashed her an understanding smile. "I know, love. I don't intend to treat the emperor the same way. I'm probably just like this right now because it's the only way I'm able to calm my nerves."

"You're nervous?" she asked in surprise.

"In a sense. I just want everything to go well."

Riza couldn't help but smile at him fondly. "It'll be fine. You're far too competent of a king to let this slip away. Just do what you've always known to do."

"Right," Roy agreed, trying to shake off the last bit of uncertainty that was edging its way into his mind. "By the way," he started, his face taking on a far more appreciative look. "You look absolutely divine in that dress."

In an effort to fight the red tint that was beginning to blossom on her face, Riza narrowed her eyes at him. "Quite literally everyone of importance in the Amestrian royal court is surrounding you right now, do you really want to keep talking like that?" she admonished.

Roy continued to smile. "You have no idea."

Straightening up and trying her damn best to ignore the sinful way he looked at her, she hardened the glare she sent him even further. "The emperor should be here any minute. We need to get into position."

Roy smirked. "Right, of course." Finally, after one last warning glare from the queen, he conceded her words and stood at the front of the entrance grounds awaiting the Xingese party. Margaret stood by his side doing her best not to fidget too much and Winry and Riza were only slightly behind him and a little off to the side.

It didn't take long for the iron gates separating the castle grounds from the village fare surrounding it to be lifted and the arrival of the Xingese party to officially commence. The first thing any of them could see was a group of guards dressed in traditional clothes leading an elaborately decorated palanquin. Just in front of the palanquin, which Riza had to guess housed the emperor himself, was a young girl who was wearing a ferociously serious look on her face, dressed far simpler than even all the guards, and an older man, appearing not much different than the girl. Both of their eyes darted around the castle grounds, as if they were looking for something. And, given their position in the procession and the looks on their faces, it meant they were the emperor's personal bodyguards, busily searching the grounds for threats. Though unwarranted, Riza knew better than to ever take offense. Bodyguards were bodyguards for a reason. They were trained to assess for danger even in the safest of places.

The queen noticed abruptly that the first palanquin (whose curtains were still drawn to conceal whoever was inside) was not the only one in the procession, but rather there was another, smaller and less elaborate, palanquin coming in behind it. Riza couldn't remember if the emperor was planning on bringing anyone else of note (or really anyone worthy of traveling in such a fashion) before a vague idea of a sister accompanying him appeared in her mind.

All the same, the prestigious arrival of the Xingese emperor had the Queen of Aerugo standing tall and proud, the picture of regal elegance. She noticed, out of the corner of her eyes, Roy standing straight as well. She hoped his concerns about everything going smoothly weren't still clouding his mind. He had enough to worry about at this point.

Finally, when the entire party had gotten close enough to the king and his men, they stopped, the palanquin-bearers lowering the structure to the ground, the one behind it following suit quickly. A quiet and reverent hush fell over the castle grounds while everyone observed the newcomers with varying degrees of scrutiny.

Riza had to wonder, as hardly anyone in the Xingese party moved, let alone talked, what they were waiting for. It seemed as though Roy was confused as well, looking as though he wasn't sure if he was supposed to begin the introductions even before the emperor had made his face known. He'd had as much royal upbringing as Riza to understand that in normal circumstances, such a brazen act would be considered rude. Something about this didn't feel like normal circumstances, however.

The queen was quickly reminded of that when a man who looked decidedly different than the rest of the Xingese (and decidedly familiar) ran up to the front of the group, out of breath and thoroughly flustered. One of the Xingese guards leaned down to the shorter newcomer to whisper something in what Riza had to assume was the native language of Aerugo and Amestris, which immediately caused the man to take on an annoyed and slightly angered expression.

 _Oh dear,_ the queen thought,  _why had Roy thought it was a good idea to let Ed lead them through the city?_

"Uhh," the golden-haired knight begun, only just managing to squash his annoyance from whatever the Xingese man had said to him. It seemed as though, in his usual way, Ed was throwing every bit of royal decorum out the window. His form was slouched, his clothes (though nice) were dishevelled, and he looked about ready to punch half the Xingese convoy. The queen held her breath for what would happen next. "Introducing, His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Ling of Xing," Ed announced above the quiet in a rather bored tone. "There, you happy?" he uttered under his breath to the guard, but the stillness that had enveloped the grounds made the sound carry to all of them.

Riza attempted to keep an amused smile subdued when she heard her sister let out a resigned sigh from beside her.

Before Ed could be berated (whether by any of them or by the Xingese guard), the curtain of the first palanquin was flung aside with abandon, and a young man in purple and yellow royal robes stepped down from the structure, a beaming smile on his face.

"Ahh! Thank you for the introduction, Edward. Wow, what an incredible castle! It's almost as big as the palace back in Xing, don't you think so, Lan Fan?" the man, who Riza assumed had to be Emperor Ling, declared in an excited and amazed tone to the jumpy woman from before. She looked practically mortified at his proclamation as she whispered in a desperate tone, "M-my lord!"

"Huh, it might actually be bigger now that I think about it. Amestris really is as prosperous as they say."

Roy, who (at least from Riza's vantage point) seemed to not have any idea of what to make of the shockingly young Xingese emperor, stepped forward at these words. "I thank you for thinking so, Your Majesty."

"Ah, the infamous King Roy. It's a pleasure to finally be here. The journey from Xing to Amestris is no joke."

"I...hope it wasn't too difficult," the king offered.

"Eh, it was worth it," the emperor spoke nonchalantly as he walked up to Roy, placed his hands together in front of his chest and bowed low before him. Having studied tirelessly on Xingese cultural traditions, Roy returned the gesture respectfully and the two rulers stood to their full heights, genial looks on both their faces. "I can't tell you how happy I am to be here in Amestris, Your Majesty. I've wanted to journey here for ages. It seems appropriate I'm doing it now that I'm the leader of Xing."

"I hope your time here is as good as you expect it to be. My people are ready to welcome you and your party."

"I thank you. That reminds me, though! There's still one more introduction to be done on our side. Edward, if you would," Ling directed, turning to the completely baffled golden-haired knight. If the situation wasn't as serious as it was, Riza would have laughed out loud at the way Emperor Ling had taken to making Edward his own personal lap dog.

"W-what? Why do I have to do everything for you?" he sputtered.

Before the emperor could offer up what looked to be a light-hearted reply, Roy steered a heated glare toward the younger man and reprimanded him through gritted teeth, "Elric."

The vehemence in the king's tone immediately stopped whatever rebuttal was on the tip of Ed's tongue. The knight heaved a long sigh and, in the same bored tone as before, addressed loudly for everyone to hear, "Her Imperial Highness, Princess Mei of Xing."

The attention was then directed to the second palanquin, as the curtain was pulled aside far more gracefully than the emperor had done it. Stepping down was a young girl, maybe only a few years younger than Winry, dressed in traditional pink and purple robes. Her long, dark hair was tied up into multiple braids. The smile she flashed as she walked up to the Amestrian welcome party was dazzling. Her face was kind and her eyes held a certain happiness Riza found difficult to describe. Already she liked her. The emperor seemed alright, though a little too outrageous, but the princess was someone the queen felt she could get along with well.

"My sister, Mei," Ling introduced simply. The Xingese princess stood next to her brother as Roy gave the traditional Xingese bow to her as well. She returned it with a curtsy reminiscent of Amestrian and Aerugonian greetings and the queen watched as Roy seemed to relax a little at the gesture.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. Thank you for offering up your home to us," Princess Mei's voice was high-pitched, but still kind.

"My pleasure," Roy returned.

"Mei is only one of my many, many siblings, but I get along with her the best. She's been wanting to come to Amestris almost as long as I have, though she's more interested in science than politics."

The princess blushed fiercely at the emperor's words, thoroughly embarrassed by Ling's proud bragging.

"Science?" the king immediately asked.

"Yes! The field of alchemy, in particular. She studies the Xingese art of alkahestry fiercely, so she's been interested in what I'm to understand is the Amestrian equivalent," the emperor answered for his sister.

"Ah, we have a lot of alchemists here. In fact, two of my best knights are quite skilled in the art, including Sir Elric here," Roy said with a nod of his head.

Ed appeared to be even more annoyed that he was suddenly pulled into the conversation, especially when the emperor turned toward him, a peculiar (and almost sadistic) smile spreading on his already happy face. "Oh really? That's wonderful. By the way, we've become well-acquainted with Edward already. I thank you for sending him out to lead us through the city."

"Of...course," the king replied, looking uneasily between the emperor, who was smiling gleefully, and his knight, who looked about ready to start an international incident. In an effort to dispel some of the obvious (and rather random) tension that appeared between the two men, Roy cleared his throat. "I suppose I should offer up my own introductions," he began, directing Emperor Ling's attention back to him.

"This is my daughter, Princess Margaret," Roy said with a hint of pride, his eyes indicating the young girl at his side. She curtsied politely, demonstrating the royal upbringing Riza was quite familiar with, and the emperor returned the gesture kindly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," he said.

Margaret had apparently become enraptured with the Xingese princess, however, and turned toward her with wide eyes. "Your sister is pretty," she said, not giving a care to who she was addressing. Roy almost admonished her, but Princess Mei let out a giggle before he could.

"Thank you, Your Highness. You're very pretty too."

Margaret practically beamed at the girl.

Roy then took the time to look toward Winry and Riza, both of whom had stayed quiet during all the introductions. As the king motioned toward them, Emperor Ling's eyes drifted in their direction, before they lit up in excitement.

"Ahh!" the emperor began before the king could even utter a word. "This must be the Queen of Amestris. She's very beautiful," Ling said, and immediately everyone who wasn't Xingese froze.

Roy, completely taken aback by the mistake (and its implications) began sputtering. "I-I...she's...uh...no, she's not…" so shocked by the address, the king could hardly form a rebuttal. Eventually, he let out a shaky breath to compose himself before he spoke to the emperor, "This is Queen Riza of  _Aerugo_. There is no Queen of Amestris."

Completely unphased, the emperor shook off his mistake. "Ohh, I see. My bad. It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. I understand our treaty talks are to involve your kingdom as well?"

Riza smiled, trying to hide her amusement at, first, the emperor mistaking her for the Queen of Amestris, and then Roy's complete lack of decorum as he was too flustered to even correct him, before bowing politely, the emperor returning the greeting.

"Yes, I look forward to them."

"As do I."

"This is my sister, Princess Winry of Aerugo," the queen introduced, indicating to the woman by her side.

As the emperor was busy greeting her younger sibling, the mischievous streak the queen possessed that only appeared on the rarest of occasions bubbled up inside of her and she couldn't help but adding, "Winry is Sir Elric's betrothed, actually."

In the distance, she could see Edward turn incredulously toward her before narrowing his eyes as the emperor became absolutely  _delighted_ at that bit of information. Had he and Ed known each other before meeting just now, because they seemed to share a curious sense of friendly animosity.

"Oh really? How wonderful! Goodness, how in the world did he manage to snag a princess? Good work Edward!" the emperor threw over his shoulder as the golden-haired knight nearly growled back at him. Officially, no one could even possibly know what to make of the pair's dynamic.

Winry merely smiled and laughed demurely, remaining perfectly cordial even if her fiance wouldn't.

Realizing he needed to wrangle in the situation before it came to blows, Roy stepped forward and began introducing the rest of his court before the Xingese party was directed inside and to where they would be staying. Riza shook her head when she thought of the party that would be thrown that night to welcome them. Already, the Xingese had proven themselves to be quite the interesting guests, if their welcoming was anything to go off of. The emperor was...strange, but still genuine in a way most world leaders weren't. Riza appreciated that much about him.

Who knows what would happen once he had a little ale in him that night.


	6. Chapter 6

Amestrians, Xingese, and Aerugonians alike all watched in awe as the Xingese staff-turned-traditional-dancers moved across the floor of the great hall in their vibrantly colored silk robes. All eyes were on them as they presented their dance to their foreign hosts, pride in their heritage bursting forth as they twisted and turned. The music that accompanied them was unlike anything the Queen of Aerugo had ever heard, but it was beautiful in its complexity. Riza could watch the Xingese dancers all night, and she was sure they would have performed for everyone just as long if their stamina could hold up.

The dancers went through one final sequence before striking a dramatic ending pose. Not even a second had passed before the patrons of the great hall were applauding the group uproariously, thoroughly pleased with the unique display. It was safe to say nearly every non-Xingese guest at the party had never seen anything quite like it.

"That was magnificent, Your Majesty. The fact that your staff can double as guards and servants while also being remarkable dancers is quite impressive," Roy could be heard saying to Emperor Ling from the head table once the applause had died down and the dancers dispersed. A simple Amestrian jig was then played to encourage the party guests to get back on the dance floor, though no one was sure they could adequately follow the Xingese.

Emperor Ling proudly beamed at the man. "I thank you for your kindness, King Roy. I admit I am quite proud of my people and our culture. Hopefully you can find some time in your busy life to visit our land one day and take it all in yourself."

Riza quietly listened to the two rulers converse. They seemed to be getting along splendidly so far, even despite their obvious age differences, though the queen had to wonder how much of that was the ale talking. Riza sat to Roy's right and the emperor to his left. This meant she wasn't able to talk with the younger ruler as much as she would've liked, but watching the way Roy's face lit up in excitement as they discussed their plans was enough for her. She barely even registered Rebecca coming to sit in the seat Winry had vacated when she went down to the dance floor, dragging her reluctant fiancé along with her. The queen had just managed to flash her friend a smile as Roy continued talking with Ling.

"Oh, I'd like nothing more. I feel particularly drawn to Xing more than a lot of other kingdoms. Probably because of my heritage."

"I thought you looked a little like us. Do you have Xingese family, Your Majesty?" Ling questioned with interest.

Roy's face softened even more as he answered, "My mother was part Xingese. My grandmother came over to Amestris when she was a teenager. She was apparently beautiful enough to marry into the noble family that my late mother came from. I never met her side of the family, but I've always wanted to."

Riza couldn't help but lift an eyebrow at this. Roy had never told her that he had Xingese blood, though she should have figured it out with his looks and his general excitement for a Xingese/Amestrian treaty. It certainly explained a lot of Roy's enthusiasm.

"Oh, that's interesting. The fact that anyone would make the journey across the desert between our two countries is impressive even now, let alone that long ago. I suppose people still manage to trickle between the two every now and again."

"Hopefully it will become more common, if our plans go as we want them to."

Ling smiled at this and lifted his cup. "Ah, that's something I can certainly drink to!" The emperor then tipped his cup back and drained the last bit of ale in it. He let out a content (and slightly hazy) smile as he did this, a drunken blush slowly growing on his cheeks. "By the way, this Amestrian ale is quite nice. Don't know if I like it as much as our Xingese sake, but given your resources, it's impressively delicious. Excuse me, kind sir, can you fill me up again?"

Well, Riza thought a little warily as the nearby servant holding the carafe of ale filled the emperor's cup once more, at least Ling was a happy drunk. Though silly and quite uncouth for their standing, she'd gladly take a happy drunk ruler over an angry and destructive one. Roy hadn't had quite as much, but even still he looked far more relaxed and content with the situation than he would normally be. His earlier nerves were completely erased both from the easy countenance of the Xingese emperor and the ale in his cup.

Before Emperor Ling could take a sip, however, the jumpy woman Riza had noticed at the welcoming popped up seemingly from nowhere and carefully pried the drink from her ruler's hand. Even as Riza and Roy watched in shock, she said nothing as she tipped the drink toward her lips, took a small sip, waited a few minutes, and then set it back down on the table.

Ling seemed to be more annoyed than angry as he let out an exasperated (and exaggerated) sigh. "Lan Faaaan. You don't have to taste-test everything I eat or drink. It's all coming from the same place." The whine that the emperor gave made him sound like a child and Riza turned her head from the scene to spare him some dignity. Roy, in his slightly tipsy haze, had no such restraint and only just managed to smother the snort that escaped from his nose.

The young bodyguard straightened up, looking a little embarrassed at having been called out, but still chided her charge all the same. "While I don't mean to mistrust our guests, my lord, I still must take all precautions as the one guarding your life. It would bring dishonor on our entire clan if I let something happen to you."

Ling waved a dismissive hand at her. "That's all well and good, Lan Fan, but I think I'm safe here. See, the Amestrian king has been drinking out of the same source and he's fine. Try and relax. You've been too tense lately. You and Fu should take the night off."

"M-my lord! How can we possibly leave our duties for even a second!"

Ling let out a sigh, seemingly oblivious to the attention directed toward them from the other two world leaders in the room, one watching in amusement, the other with caution.

Quickly switching to his native tongue, the emperor told his bodyguard something in a hushed and rather passionate voice. Whatever he had said had apparently done the job quite well, as the girl blushed crimson, straightened her posture even more than it already had been, bowed, and then practically dashed away from the head table.

"Sorry about her," Ling spoke in the Amestrian and Aerugonian language as he turned back toward Riza and Roy. "She's understandably a little on edge when it comes to my safety. Being the emperor has certainly given me a whole new host of enemies. Even in the short while I've been ruling, she's had to fight off three different assassination attempts."

Roy looked surprised by that information, but Riza had to figure it made sense. Ling had been granted the empire after his father's death despite the fact that she knew he wasn't the first-born. She could only imagine the kind of resistance that had stirred up.

"I didn't realize things had become so dangerous," Roy continued.

Ling merely shrugged his shoulders, as if multiple attempted assassinations was just another part of the job, and waved a hand dismissively. "I've long since gotten used to it. Most of my siblings don't particularly like me or my clan. When the Yao's got the empire, there were plenty of angry clan leaders. It's part of the reason Mei is the only one accompanying me. Despite being from a different clan, she has no plans to take the throne and has pledged her loyalty to my rule. In return, I've promised her safety and fortune."

The other two rulers pondered this silently for a moment. Eventually, Roy asked another burning question. "That still seems like a rather precarious situation. How do your siblings feel about our treaty?"

The emperor merely laughed nonchalantly and raised his cup to his lips once again. "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that, Your Majesty. The internal affairs of Xing don't get in the way of how we deal with other kingdoms. They won't affect our negotiations, I assure you."

The queen had her fair share of concerns about that actually happening, but she let it slide as Roy and Ling began drunkenly discussing some other insignificant topic. Growing bored with them, she turned to where her friend was mindlessly watching the dancers.

"How are you tonight, Rebecca? Have you managed to rope Sir Havoc into dancing with you?" Riza asked.

Rebecca scoffed at her words. "What do  _you_  think? I haven't even seen Jean since they first opened the barrels of ale. I doubt I'll see him again the rest of the night."

"I'm sorry," the queen offered sympathetically. Rebecca just rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Don't be. I've gotten used to it by now. At least  _some_  people are enjoying their significant others tonight," the brunette said as she nodded to where Winry and Ed were moving across the dance floor. The fact that Riza's sister had even managed to get her fiancé to dance with her, let alone make it seem like he was enjoying himself, was an impressive feat.

Riza smiled. "I'm glad to see Edward has gained some dancing skills. He's going to need them being Winry's husband."

"You're right about that," Rebecca agreed with a soft smile of her own. The women watched the newly engaged couple happily dancing to the lively jig a few moments before Rebecca spoke up once more. "How are you feeling about all that? Winry getting married, I mean. We haven't had time to discuss it since they announced the engagement."

The queen continued to smile demurely. "It's honestly rather surreal. Part of me expected Winry to get married young and before me, but now that it's actually happening? It's strange. We arranged the wedding gown with the royal seamstress here a few days ago."

"Wow," Rebecca breathed, finishing off her cup of ale. "She's matured so much since we first met. I'm so happy to see her like this now."

Riza nodded. "As am I. I thought I would have my qualms with her officially marrying into an Amestrian family and coming to live here, but I found I can't bring myself to care. She's just so happy. How could I do or say anything to diminish that?"

"Would you like more ale, milady?" A servant carrying a carafe said suddenly, breaking into their conversation. This one was different than the one who was practically enabling the king and emperor.

"Please," Rebecca replied, not even bothering to glance in his direction as he refilled her cup. It seemed her frustrations about her husband ignoring her once again had mounted to the point that the lady figured she had nothing else to do but join in on the party. Enthusiastically, at that.

"And you, Your Majesty?" the servant asked, turning toward Riza. She tried to contain her shock at the question. Most of the other servants knew she didn't usually partake and didn't make it a point of offering her. This one must be new.

"Ah...no, thank you."

Just as the servant was nodding his head and preparing to bow out and away from them, Rebecca lifted an indignant hand, stopping him. "Wait a minute! What do you mean 'no, thank you'? Have you had  _anything_  to drink tonight?"

"Water," the queen replied, slightly tongue-in-cheek. That earned her a roll of Rebecca's eyes.

"You know what I mean, Riza. Do you not drink?"

"I don't usually make it a point to," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders, not getting why Rebecca seemed thoroughly affronted by this bit of information.

"Why not? I figure of all people you should be allowed a cup of ale or two from time to time, especially dealing with those idiots," her friend said, pointing a finger to where Roy and Ling were still engaged in a rather lively conversation.

"Precisely the reason I should stay sober. There are three kings in this hall, at least one of us should be coherent."

Rebecca scoffed at that. "There are only  _two_ kings here tonight, honey, and I think a queen deserves to let loose every once and awhile. Fill up her cup, sir," she directed to the completely baffled servant. The young man looked between the two women, not knowing who to obey, before he shakily poured the ale into Riza's cup, much to her chagrin.

"Rebecca," the queen chided as the servant turned tail and ran.

"Don't start with me now, Riza. You deserve to unwind a bit. You've gone through your fair share of stressors lately. Come on, drink it. It won't kill you."

Riza narrowed her eyes at her companion. "Somehow, I highly doubt that. Rebecca, honestly, I don't even like it."

"You can't knock it until you've tried it. Go on. I promise you'll feel  _a lot_ better about the way the night progresses."

The queen couldn't help another eye roll at that statement, but, even though she grumbled the whole time, she still lifted the cup of amber liquid to her lips, took a cautious sip, and mulled the taste over as she let it swish around in her mouth before swallowing.

"Well?" Rebecca asked with a playful smile.

"It's...not as bad as I was expecting."

"See! I told you. Just wait until you've had a bit more. Then you'll start feeling  _real_  good."

Riza couldn't help the animosity that was rolling off of her in waves as her friend sat back and laughed at her. Still, the crazy woman did have a point. The ale they were serving was probably some of the kingdom's best. She'd had sips of other forms of alcohol in the past and they'd all been disgusting. This was...surprisingly decent.

"Let it not be known that a commoner like yourself told a queen what to do," Riza spoke only half-seriously, lifting the cup to take an even bigger sip.

Rebecca merely leaned back in her chair and tasted a bit of her own drink. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Your secret is safe with me."

* * *

"I gotta admit, Ed, I'm impressed," Winry told her golden-haired fiancé with a slight smirk as they moved off the dance floor for a quick break.

Ed scowled in response. "You could at least act a little less shocked. I was never an incompetent dancer, I just chose not to do it."

The princess let out a small giggle. "Well, all the same, I'm happy I get to dance with you now and not worry about what people say. Besides, I haven't been able to track Al down all night and I need  _someone_ to be my partner."

If possible, Ed's scowl worsened. "Maybe next time don't default to my little brother."

This time, Winry let out a hearty, joyous laugh that helped abate her fiancé's worsening mood a little. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to this whole 'betrothed' thing," she told him before placing a steadying hand on his shoulder so she could reach up and give him a quick peck on his cheek. His face reddened, but the goofy smile the princess loved so much still managed to stretch across his face.

Before Ed could offer up a proper response to that, a familiar voice interrupted the engaged couple.

"Hey guys! Nice moves as always, Winry. Still can't believe you managed to drag this idiot out on the dance floor with you," Paninya spoke, her trusty fiddle still in her hand.

Almost immediately, Ed's scowl returned and Winry had to marvel at how quickly his mood could turn. "Why is everyone so shocked? I danced before I met Winry."

"Barely," Paninya countered with a smirk, and the princess couldn't help but laugh.

In an effort to spare her fiancé further teasing, Winry addressed her friend, "You've done a wonderful job with the music as usual, Paninya."

"Thanks, but to be completely honest, I feel like a novice compared to those Xingese guys. Did you hear them? They used instruments I've never even  _seen_ before! I'd kill for some lessons."

"You should go talk to them," Winry offered, weaving her arm comfortably around Ed's. "From what I've experienced, they're all really nice, and most of them speak our language. I'm sure they'd love to teach you some of their music."

"That's not a bad idea. I've been wanting to learn music from other kingdoms for ages. This is perfect."

"Seems everyone has been enjoying the Xingese stay so far. Well, all aside from this loser," Winry said, her head tilting toward Ed.

Paninya laughed at this. "What? Why? You got something against them?"

Ed's face twisted into a childlike pout and he avoided both of their stares. "Not against all of them. Just their annoying as hell emperor."

Paninya lifted an eyebrow at that and turned questioningly toward Winry.

Answering her unasked question, the princess rolled her eyes and spoke, "Apparently he and Emperor Ling didn't get off on the best foot when Ed went to greet he and his party at the outer gates. He won't even tell me what happened, just that Ling gets on his nerves."

"You know, you don't have to talk about me like I'm not even here," Ed added indignantly.

Before either Winry or Paninya could offer a scathing rebuttal to Ed's qualms, a golden-haired blur approached them quickly and immediately stopped, completely out of breath, as it broke into their circle.

"Al? What the hell's the matter with you?" Ed asked, as all three looked at the younger knight questioningly.

Taking a minute to get his breathing under control, Alphonse finally responded to his brother. "I  _completely_ screwed up." His voice was practically demoralized and Winry noticed his cheeks were aflame with embarrassment. The princess had been wondering where he had run off to for the majority of the night, as she had barely seen him. His current state probably explained a lot.

"Screwed  _what_ up?" Ed asked skeptically.

"Princess Mei. I screwed everything up."

"Wait, the princess? Al, what are you talking about?" This time it was Winry questioning the younger Elric.

Finally taking a deep breath to be able to fully launch into the story, Al began. "I went over to see her, you know, since Emperor Ling said she was interested in alchemy. She was standing kind of off to the side looking like she wanted someone to just talk to her, so I went for it."

Winry lifted an eyebrow. "Then what happened?"

"It was fine...at first. I introduced myself and told her why we might have something in common. She seemed really excited to learn about the Amestrian sciences. We were getting along really well, it seemed. She's...super nice. But then I...oh, gods...I said something I really shouldn't have."

Though Winry and Paninya were eyeing the knight with slight dread at what he could've possibly done to offend the sweet Xingese princess, a small and self-satisfied smirk took up residence on Ed's face as he realized where this was going.

"Gods, Al, what did you say?" Paninya was the one to ask.

"W-well...she was saying something about how she really wanted to learn to do the Amestrian jigs. I got excited because I knew that was something I could help her with. Then she said no one usually danced with her in Xing because she wasn't one of the better-looking royal siblings. Then I...well I might have said that was ridiculous because she was super pretty."

A barely contained snort escaped through Ed's nose and both Winry and Paninya turned to glare at him. He clearly was not taking his poor brother's plight seriously. Ed didn't really care though. He was used to being the brother terrible with people (particularly girls), and now that he was engaged and got to watch his little brother navigate the world of romance on his own, the older knight couldn't help but be remarkably self-satisfied.

"But then once I realized what I had said, I tried to fix it. Princess Mei looked taken aback and I was afraid I offended her. So then I said that she wasn't pretty in  _that_ way. Of course, once I said  _that_ I realized it sounded even worse so then I backtracked  _again_  and...oh, gods it's a complete disaster. I'm never going to be able to talk to her again."

The demoralized look on Al's face tugged on Winry's heart, even though his brother was callously snickering to himself. She placed a reassuring hand on his arm and tried to offer up her best piece of advice. "That's not necessarily true, Alphonse. You probably just surprised her. I'm sure if you just explain what you really meant, she'd understand."

"That's just it though! I can't tell her what I really meant because then I'd...well, I'd have to say that...I really  _do_ think she's pretty."

It was silent a moment as the trio processed this bit of information before a large grin started to spread across Paninya's face. "Ohhh,  _I_ see what's going on here. Does our little Alphonse have a crush on the Xingese princess?"

Immediately Al's face turned as bright red as a tomato and he attempted to stutter out a rebuttal. "W-what! N-no, it's...it's not like that!"

"But you think she's  _pretty_ , Al. And you guys seem to have a lot in common. Seems obvious to me," Ed spoke in a haughty tone. Winry almost sighed when she realized how out of hand this was getting. Paninya and Ed were far more interested in teasing the younger knight then helping him, it seemed.

"W-well, I mean, have you  _seen_ her? I figure I'm just stating the obvious!" Al said in a vain attempt to save him some embarrassment. It didn't work though, as Paninya and Ed practically fell over themselves laughing.

While the two idiots were basking in Al's troubles, Winry rolled her eyes and attempted to get him to ignore them. "Al, I can almost guarantee you that Princess Mei doesn't think you're a terrible person. All you have to do is apologize for saying something a little uncouth and then ask her if she wants to spend time with you. Teach her the dances, teach her about alchemy, anything will work. I haven't spent a whole lot of time with her, but I can already tell she's a kind person. She won't hold it against you."

"You think so?" Alphonse desperately asked.

Winry nodded her head and smiled. "I know so. You don't necessarily have to do it tonight, but in the next few days once the negotiation talks start and she'll have nothing else to do, find her and talk to her. I think you'd be surprised at what she'd say."

Al flashed his future sister-in-law a grateful smile, glad that at least someone was taking pity on him. His brother and his friend were still busy wiping the tears from their eyes.

"Woo, that is a good one. I knew our little boy would grow up and start noticing the ladies eventually but I didn't think he'd start with a  _princess_ ," Paninya said, once her laughter had died down a bit.

Winry couldn't help but smirk at this. "Hey, maybe it's an Elric brother thing. I mean, after all, Ed did the exact same thing."

And, true to what the princess new about her fiancé, Ed immediately straightened up, an indignant look on his face once he realized the focus of their teasing was shifting back to him. Paninya, Winry, and even Al began to giggle at him.

"Oh, you guys are always good for a laugh," Paninya declared happily.

Winry couldn't help the roll of her eyes this time. These three hooligans certainly kept her on her toes.

* * *

Riza let out an uncharacteristically hearty laugh as Rebecca pointed toward a particularly enthusiastic knight once again getting turned down by a potential dance partner. The brunette then watched in surprise as the queen lifted her rapidly draining cup of ale to her lips once more, found it empty, and motioned for the servant from before to refill it. Rebecca was rather taken aback that the queen, after having been so adamant about not drinking anything, was now tipping back cups of ale like water. She had to wonder if the general stress of the important upcoming trade negotiations had anything to do with her sudden enthusiasm.

Still, Rebecca couldn't really fault the woman for it. She had probably never gotten even close to tipsy once in her life and if there was anyone in the world who deserved to let loose, it was the Queen of Aerugo. Poor Riza had her fair share of stressors on her plate at the moment, so one drunken night at a party wouldn't reflect too terribly on her normally impeccable composure.

Although, now that Rebecca noticed it, the queen was starting to look more...woozy than drunk. She had only fully completed two cups of ale (child's play for veterans like herself and her husband) and was already beginning to sway even sat in her seat. The queen's eyes began blinking repeatedly as if she couldn't focus on anything and her hand quickly found her forehead to steady herself.

"Are you okay?" Rebecca finally asked. As boisterous as many of the party guests were quickly becoming, the lady could still recognize when something was off. She supposed she should have warned the queen before practically forcing her to drink some of the ale, but Riza was looking like she was quickly fading, even after a measly two cups.

In a vain attempt to reassure her friend, the queen straightened up, managed a small smile, and nodded her head. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little...tired all of a sudden."

"Maybe you should go to bed. You've had some long days these past few weeks."

The queen attempted yet another smile, though it looked decidedly forced. "Oh, that's not necessary. The night's still young. I don't think any of our hosts would appreciate me leaving the party early."

"Riza," Rebecca immediately chided, the worry beginning to mount as the queen's complexion began to pale. Odd, considering she knew how alcohol tended to redden the cheeks and flush the skin rather than turn it a ghostly white. The lady then noticed beads of sweat beginning to form on Riza's forehead and the warning signals going off in her brain started blaring at full volume. Something wasn't right here. "If you're not feeling well, you should go to bed. No one will blame you for that."

"It's  _fine_ ," was Riza's immediate and harsh response. "I think I just need some fresh air." The queen then abruptly stood to her feet, wobbled significantly to the point where Rebecca was afraid she'd have to catch her fall, managed to remain upright, and walked away from the head table toward the exits of the great hall.

With wide eyes and a shocked expression, Rebecca watched her go, her feet still unsteady beneath her, and felt a thick weight drop in her stomach when a particularly unpleasant thought appeared in her mind. She looked around and found no one had seemed to notice the queen's rather abrupt change in countenance. Roy and the emperor had left the head table a while back to go talk with more of the guests, dancers were still enjoying the lively music out on the dance floor, and her husband and a few other knights were neck deep in a gambling game off in the corner. Aside from the unsteady Queen of Aerugo, everything was normal.

Rebecca curiously turned back to where the servants were posted behind them and widened her eyes even further when she noticed the one who had been serving the queen her ale was nowhere to be found. It was rather unusual for a servant to leave his or her post at a party with royals involved. If they ran out of whatever they were serving, someone else went to go inform the kitchen for them. The absence of the one who seemed rather insistent on giving the queen her drink made Rebecca's suspicion from before turn into a full blown panic.

The lady immediately stood to her feet and rushed to catch up with where the queen had teetered off to. Only two full cups of ale in and Riza looked ready to collapse. Her skin was pale instead of flushed and she looked like she was sweating profusely. The change had also occurred so abruptly it was almost impossible for Rebecca to prepare either of them for it. This combined with the mysterious absence of the servant with the ale and the general political climate that was brewing between all the kingdoms led the brunette to one very concerning conclusion.

Her feet couldn't carry her fast enough as she dashed away from the party. She could just see the queen's blonde hair and the deep forest green color of her gown for the night disappearing into the hallway. She almost made it through the doors before a hand reached out to stop her, spinning her around quickly. Rebecca became slightly disoriented at the sudden shift in momentum, the ale she had drunk that night starting to settle in as well. She turned impatient eyes on the person who had halted her only to face her questioning husband.

"Becca? What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost." Jean said with concern as he stood from the game he had been engaged in and steadied his wife's nearly trembling form with his strong arms.

Immediately Rebecca tried to twist out of his grip. "I can't talk right now, Jean. It's urgent."

"Why? What's wrong?" the First Knight asked, a touch of desperation entering his tone at the scared look on his wife's face.

Before she could answer him, Rebecca managed to pry her husband's arms off of her and immediately turned to follow after Riza again. Jean wasn't far behind, though.

"Wait! Becca, what's wrong!" he shouted as she ran into the hallway outside the great hall, looked around quickly for the queen and spotted her not far away, leaning up against the wall.

Rushing up to the queen's rapidly fading form, Rebecca grasped her upper arms (much like Jean had just done with her) and attempted to look her friend in the eye. She didn't like what she was seeing, however. If possible, the queen had become even paler, hardly able to keep her eyes open.

"Riza! Are you alright? Talk to me," the lady pleaded, as the queen once again placed a hand on her forehead in a vain attempt to gain some clarity of the world.

"I-I'm...okay. Just...need to...r-rest," were Riza's whispered words. Before Rebecca could even register it, the queen's body went limp and the lady only just managed to catch her before she collapsed to the ground.

"Riza!" Rebecca exclaimed as she struggled to keep both of them upright, the dead weight of the queen's body weighing her down.

As the panic began to explode within her, Rebecca heard her husband shout from the other side of the hallway before his desperate footsteps were approaching and the weight of Riza's body was shifted from her arms to Jean's.

"B-Becca! What's going on? What's wrong with Riza?" he asked as he shifted the queen's body to a better position. They both noticed that she still seemed conscious, as she half-heartedly clutched the front of Jean's tunic, babbling nonsensical words into the fabric.

"I-I don't know but...Jean...I'm afraid someone put something in her drink," Rebecca spoke worriedly as her husband eventually hoisted the queen effortlessly into his arms, carrying her bridal style away from the great hall. It seemed even he could recognize the need to move fast.

Still, at his wife's concerned revelation, his eyes widened and he turned shocked eyes down at where she walked by his side. "A-are you serious? H-how?"

"I don't know. One minute I'm telling her she should have something to drink, and then the next she's collapsing. She only had two cups, Jean, and she drank them pretty fast. The servant who was pouring the ale isn't at his post. It's all just a little too suspicious."

"Shit," Havoc breathed, as Riza's body bounced limply in his arms while he desperately moved through the castle. "We need to find that servant! And a doctor."

"I know," Rebecca spoke hastily as she halted both of them in the middle of the hallway. "Look, I'll go back to the party and see if I can get Breda or someone to track the servant down. Then, I'll go find Marcoh. Take Riza back to her bedroom and try and get her some water or something. I'll meet you there."

"Sounds good," Jean affirmed, a determined look appearing on his face, covering up the fear that so badly wanted to take him over.

"And Jean? Whatever you do, don't let the king know about this. Right now, we need to handle it ourselves without causing a scene."

Rebecca's husband eyed her skeptically at that. "Are you sure that's a good idea? If we keep him in the dark now, it's only going to be worse once we eventually have to tell him what happened."

"I know, but if this is some crazy attempt to incapacitate or, gods forbid, kill the queen, it'll be dangerous if we involve him right away. Not with an emperor close by. This could start an international incident, so let's do our best to keep it under wraps for now."

As worried as they both were, Jean knew his wife was right. If Roy found out something terrible had happened to the woman everyone knew he loved, it could cause the king to blow up in a way he might regret. He was a good king, but, more often than not, he let his emotions dictate his actions. And there certainly was not a more heated emotion than the fear of losing someone you love.

Nodding his head in agreement with his wife's plan, Jean then dashed off to the guest rooms wing to try and help the queen in whatever way he could while Rebecca went to get the doctor. If this was as serious as they were suspecting it to be, they knew they had little time to work with.

* * *

"Winry, have you seen your sister?" Roy asked curiously as he approached the table she, Ed, and Al had situated themselves at the further along the party got. It seemed even the expert dancers got tired eventually and were content with just watching the other partygoers.

Winry tilted her head curiously at the king's inquiry. "No, not recently. Is she not at the head table?"

Roy's brow furrowed. He had been trying to track Riza down for the past few minutes to introduce her to a prominent Amestrian lord, but had been unsuccessful. Last he had seen her, she and Rebecca were happily conversing at the head table, but when he went to go look there, both their seats were empty. "Not that I can tell," Roy replied.

"Hmm, she does tend to wander at parties. She might just be hugging a wall somewhere."

"That was my first thought. I walked around the perimeter, but didn't see her." Now the king was beginning to get frustrated...and a bit worried. It would be strange for Riza to leave the party this early into the night, so where could she possibly be?

"Weird," Winry offered, also beginning to get a little concerned. While her sister wasn't the biggest fan of gatherings like this, she still saw them as a part of her duties. For her to have gone off to hide somewhere couldn't mean anything good.

A familiar voice then spoke up from behind them. "Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I might be able to help."

Both Roy and Winry turned curiously to find Lord Falman approaching them. The king turned expectantly to one of his highest ranked court members.

"While I haven't seen the queen in a while, I did notice Lady Havoc leave not that long ago in quite the hurry, Sir Havoc not far behind her. Then, not too long after that she came back, talked to Breda about something real desperately, then they both left looking pretty worried. As Rebecca was the last person I saw with the queen, it could be related."

Inclined to trust Falman more than anyone given the man's eidetic memory and impeccable attention to detail, the worry from before began to grow within the king. "Something's not right," he spoke in a quiet voice before turning without another word and making for the exit of the great hall. He heard Winry call after him in concern, but he didn't even stop to address her.

As he walked into the hallway and began looking around for members of his court, he couldn't help but let the fear consume him. Rebecca and Havoc wouldn't let just anything make them appear concerned, and if it was something serious, they would normally let him be the first to know. The fact that they were making a point of doing everything so secretively  _and_ no one had spotted Riza in a long time led him to only one conclusion.

He didn't know where he should even go to get answers, but he continued walking along the corridors, trying to find even one familiar face. If the queen was involved with whatever had worried the Havoc's and Breda, Roy  _absolutely_ needed to know. Things had been precarious enough in the past with her, and he had been waiting with bated breath for something else to happen, as morbid as it was. He knew they both weren't off the hook where the Republic was concerned, and things had been far too quiet for far too long.

As the king was about to round the corner, familiar voices stopped him in his tracks. He immediately recognized Rebecca and, from just the tone of her voice, he knew Falman was right. She wasn't just worried about something, she seemed to be borderline panicking. Whatever it was had to be bad.

He realized that in full when another familiar voice spoke, this one slightly more collected than Rebecca's. It never meant anything good if Marcoh was involved.

As the pair approached the hallway where the king stood as still as a statue, he began to make out exactly what they were discussing.

"-just worried that someone put something in it. It was such a sudden change, I can't think of any other explanation," the king heard Rebecca say.

"It's best if we don't jump to conclusions. Let me have a look at her and then we can decide what to do. I'm an expert in the effects of poisons. If it is something serious, it sounds like we're still early enough into it to be able to do something," Marcoh could be heard saying.

His words made Roy's stomach drop to the floor.

"That's encouraging, I suppose. We just need to get back to her room, at this point. And work quickly. By the way, I should tell you for now that we're trying to keep this under wraps. We don't want to cause a scene. So until I say so, don't tell the king," Rebecca spoke seriously as they rounded the corner.

Only to find a very worried, very afraid, and  _very_  angry king facing them head on.

"Don't tell me what?" he growled out as Rebecca completely froze, her mouth open in shock.

"R-Roy! I-I...uhh," Rebecca attempted to get out, though the king knew the furious glare on his face prevented any type of excuse from being formed.

"Rebecca…" he began in a low and dangerous voice, Marcoh's words still echoing around in his mind. They didn't mention anyone specifically, but the king wasn't an idiot. He knew, with all the other warning signs piling up, that they were talking about Riza. Something had happened to her. Something bad enough to send even Rebecca, a person normally so steady in situations like this, into a fit. Marcoh's mention of poisons certainly didn't help calm the king's raging concerns. "What's happened?"

Rebecca looked ready to muster up the courage to lie to him, but his glare was so fierce and his resolve so steady that she knew it would be a lost cause. She sighed, and began to break the bad news.

* * *

Havoc was in the middle of placing a cold rag across the queen's forehead when the door to her bedroom nearly burst open and three out of breath people ran through. The knight couldn't keep the shock off his face when the first person he recognized was a beside himself King Roy.

The king hardly wasted a second before rushing over to the queen's form spread out across the top of her bed. She was still awake, but only just. Knowing better than to get in his way, Havoc got up from the bed, and Roy immediately took his spot, his hand finding Riza's and his eyes brimming with fear.

Havoc then turned an accusatory glance toward his wife who could only helplessly shrug at him. "We ran into him in the hallway," she offered lamely, causing Havoc to heave a big sigh.

"Well, so much for not making a scene."

"Let me have a look at her, Your Majesty," Marcoh quickly said, shooing Roy away, but only just. The doctor leaned over the queen and began his examination, knowing that if someone had put a poison of some kind in her drink, he had to work quickly.

While the rest of them waiting with bated breath for Marcoh to figure out what was wrong, watching as the queen's head began to lull from side to side as if she was in a fever, more footsteps were heard approaching the bedroom before another set of familiar faces appeared.

Ed, Al, and Winry burst into the room and Jean and Rebecca couldn't help but sigh yet again, their plan to keep this under wraps failing miserably.

"Riza!" Winry immediately exclaimed as she also ran to approach the bed, stopping short to allow Marcoh the proper space.

"How did you guys find out?" Havoc curiously asked the Elric brothers.

"Winry followed the king and we followed her. We weren't far behind. What's going on?" Ed responded, his own voice displaying the worry everyone in the room was feeling.

"Rebecca thinks someone might have put something in the queen's drink. According to her, one minute she was fine, the next she was collapsing," Havoc responded.

Before either Elric brother could offer up their own shock at this revelation, the king left Riza's bedside for just a moment with a grave look on his face. "Rebecca, tell me exactly what happened. Why do you think someone tried to give her something?"

"W-well, it's just what Jean said. We were laughing, having a good time, when Riza started to just look funny, like she was about to pass out. She kept blinking off and on, like she couldn't focus on anything. When I asked her about it, she said she just needed some fresh air and when I followed her into the hallway she just collapsed into my arms. It all happened so quickly. Then when I went to go look for the servant who was pouring her drinks, he was gone."

"And Breda's trying to find him right now?" the king asked in a serious voice.

"Yes, he said he'd get some help if he had reason to think the kid ran off."

"Damn, how could this have happened? Don't they have taste testers for all the stuff at the parties?" Ed asked with a shake of his head.

Roy answered him. "Yes, we do, but that doesn't mean a servant can't be paid off to slip something in a cup or a carafe once it's out of the kitchen." Slamming his hand against the nearby wall, the king let out a frustrated noise. "Dammit, this shouldn't have happened. We should have better security than this. Three world leaders in one room and taking all of us down is as easy as giving a servant a bag of cenz."

Havoc could tell that the king's frustrations were born out of his presumed feelings of uselessness. After almost letting her die once, the fact that they were facing the possibility of it happening again right under the king's nose must have infuriated him. His ability to take care of any of them, let alone the woman he loved most, was being called into question in the most terrible way.

Speaking up for the first time since they had entered the room, Marcoh began in a surprisingly calm voice, "While it may be wise to reevaluate security for future parties, I wouldn't worry too much about this situation."

Everyone in the room turned toward the doctor as he leaned up from Riza's bedside, placed whatever tools he had used for his examination back in his bag, and straightened up, an almost...amused look on his face.

With looks of both fear and curiosity, everyone listened to the doctor's words intently.

"Rebecca, I have a few questions for you," he began, and the lady widened her eyes.

"Uhh, okay," she offered.

"How much did the queen have to drink?"

"Only two cups of ale. It was why I was so shocked. I mean, two cups barely affects the rest of us."

Marcoh nodded his head. "I see. And had she had much to eat?"

This question seemed to surprise Rebecca, and she took the time to ponder her answer. "Well...no, now that I think about it. I remember she had barely touched her plate. Said something about having a big lunch today and not being very hungry."

Again, the doctor's head nodded in understanding, the amused look on his face not faltering, despite everyone else's concerns.

"Well, then, now I have a question for you, Your Highness," he spoke, turning toward Winry. "Tell me, has your sister ever had much alcohol before in her life?"

"As far as I know, she's never had any. That's why I'm so shocked to hear she had two full cups. She normally makes it a point to abstain."

Marcoh looked as though he expected this answer. He turned then toward the king, who had made his way back to Riza's bedside, his hand lovingly rubbing against her own. "Well, then, Your Majesty, I think it's safe to say you have nothing to worry about. The queen will be fine, though she'll probably wake up in a testy mood come tomorrow morning."

Everyone exchanged confused looks at this news as Roy questioned his head medical worker. "What are you talking about, Marcoh? You're sure she'll be alright?"

Marcoh sighed and continued with his explanation. "In this scenario, there are only two things that could have happened. Either the queen was given a sedative or a potential poison. I've seen my fair share of both and I can safely say neither was in her drink. If it had been a sedative, she would be out cold by now, which as we can all see, is not the case, even if she is in her own little world. If it had been a poison, there would have been other symptoms, foaming at the mouth, coughing up blood, an inability to breath, etc. Again, as we can all see, she has none of these."

"So what do you think happened?" Rebecca asked, worry still evident in her tone despite the doctor's reassurances.

In an uncharacteristic move, Marcoh let a small smirk pass across his face. "It seems our dear queen is a bit of a lightweight."

"Wait," the king began as this registered in his mind. "You're saying she's just...drunk?"

'Shock' couldn't even  _begin_ to describe everyone in the room's feelings at that moment.

"B-but that's ridiculous! I watched her, she only drank two cups," Rebecca sputtered out.

"And that was apparently enough. Combined with the fact that she hadn't eaten much and it was her first time actively drinking probably did the trick well enough. It happened rather fast, true, but I've seen stranger things in my time practicing."

Everyone was silent a moment as they processed this before the king broke the quiet by letting out a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding in and saying in a thoroughly relieved voice, "Oh, thank gods." He leaned down to place a kiss atop Riza's hand as the gratefulness that it wasn't anything serious washed over him.

"Wait," Winry finally managed to say. "Are you sure, Dr. Marcoh?"

The aging medical worker smiled. "Quite sure. If you're still worried, someone can stay with her the rest of the night and inform me if anything changes, but I'd be shocked if it did. Though, it might still be a good idea for her to have a chaperone in case she gets sick."

As everyone was still trying to mentally come to terms with the fact that the queen hadn't been taken advantage of and was really just  _drunk,_  yet another familiar face came through the door of the queen's bedroom. This one, however, the king was particularly interested in.

"Your Majesty!" Sir Breda began, as he did a remarkable job of wiping off the shock from his face at the size of the crowd gathered. "I found the servant who had been serving the queen."

"And?" Roy asked, though he was sure he knew what Breda would say.

"He claims his innocence, Your Majesty. Says he didn't do anything, just left his post because it's his first time serving the royals at the party. He's just a kid who didn't know any better. I'm inclined to believe him, for now, unless we can find any other evidence he's behind this."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much, Breda. The queen's going to be fine. It seems we all...jumped to conclusions too quickly."

Breda lifted an eyebrow at this comment, only for Havoc to lean over and whisper the gist of the situation to him. Understanding lit up across his face before he, in another showing of impeccable control over his emotions, managed to keep the amusement from appearing.

"Oh, gods. This is all  _my_ fault then," Rebecca lamented after a lull in the conversation. She looked beside herself with guilt. "I was the one who coerced Riza into drinking and didn't stop her from going too fast. Then I got everyone worked up for nothing."

"No, Rebecca, it's not your fault. I still think Riza knew what she was doing, she just didn't expect to...not handle her alcohol well. She was probably just too proud to admit that she was feeling the effects before it was too late," Winry offered, walking up to her friend to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Besides, you should never apologize for assuming the worst and doing whatever it took to make sure things were okay. If this  _had_ been as serious as we thought, you could've saved her life because of how fast you acted. Honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less from my court," Roy spoke sincerely from beside the queen.

The lady managed to nod her head and thank them for their reassurances, though most of them could tell she still felt terrible. She only hoped Riza wouldn't hate her guts when she was sober again.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the group didn't know what to do next before Roy cleared his throat and addressed all of them. "Everyone should go back and enjoy the party. The night is still young and we still have a whole host of important guests to entertain. Enjoy yourselves, you all deserve it."

There were a few questioning murmurs, as the king's court members weren't sure whether to take him up on his offer, before he shot them all a reassuring glance and they began to filter back out of the room. Eventually, all that was left (after Havoc managed to pull a still distraught Rebecca out of the room) was Winry and the king.

The princess turned toward him with a relieved look and a smile. "Well, glad to know that wasn't as bad as it could have been, though if I know my sister she's going to be mortified when she comes to." Winry looked down sympathetically to where Riza was still lying on the bed practically in a daze. The king took the rag Jean had applied and began dabbing away the sweat that had gathered, a fond smile of his own taking up his face.

"I have no doubt about that. And here I thought with how strong she is, she could hold her drink a bit better. Two cups, that's got to be some kind of record."

Winry laughed quietly at that. "Oh my poor, lightweight sister."

The pair silently observed the mumbling queen for a moment before Roy turned back toward the princess. "You should go and enjoy the party too, Winry. I can stay here with her."

Winry's eyes widened at that. "Oh, you don't have to do that. I don't mind taking care of her."

"You're always the one taking care of her. I think if she was coherent enough she'd tell you to go and enjoy yourself. I promise, I'll be fine here."

Pausing to weigh his words, and her intense desire to go and have fun with her friends, she questioned him one last time. "You're sure it's okay for you to leave early? I mean, you are technically the host."

Roy smiled. "I think my guests will forgive me this one time. Besides, I spent most of the night talking with the emperor anyway. Plus, this party wasn't meant for serious discussions and forming relations. It's just a time to have fun with new friends. You should take advantage of it."

Winry smiled. "Well...if you're sure." She then fixed him with a fake serious glare. "And no funny business while I'm gone, you hear?"

Roy chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it. Go on, enjoy the night."

"Alright then, don't let my sister puke all over your clothes," the princess responded good-naturedly, earning a laugh from the king and a reassurance before she was out the door, leaving him alone with his poor, drunk queen.

He sat in silence and watched as Riza slowly began to gain a bit more coherence as she shifted from side to side, letting out small groans as she did. He shook his head at the sheer ridiculousness of the past half hour or so. Trust this woman to always keep him on his toes in the most insane ways.

He got up from the bed to try and find a blanket to tuck her away without disturbing her (and maybe find a bin in case she got sick at any point during the night) when he heard a particularly loud groan come from where she lay on the bed before she spoke the first tangible words he'd heard her say since she arrived at the party.

"R-Roy? What are you doing here?" There was a definite slur to her words, but she sounded more sick than loopy. The king figured that was to be expected, all things considered. He walked back to the bed with a fond smile and sat down next to her. He gently rubbed his hand against her cheek and her eyes closed at the motion.

"You gave everyone quite the scare, love. Rebecca was convinced someone tried to poison you. Turns out you're just terrible at holding your ale."

Immediately her eyes popped open at his words (well, as much as they could in her sedated state) and her face took on an indignant look. "Whaaaat? I'm...I'm not…"

Roy smiled. "Yes, yes you are. We even got Marcoh in here to confirm it. You are, in fact, quite drunk."

"Nooooo," the queen lamented, tossing her head to the side in an exaggerated move. Roy couldn't help the amused glint that appeared in his eyes as he watched her. "I don't  _want_  to be...drunk," she spoke, a small hiccup interrupting her words. Roy couldn't help but think she looked and sounded adorable, though she would kill him if he ever told her that.

"Looks like you don't get a choice, in this scenario."

"...all...Rebecca's...fault," she continued, hiccups beginning to punctuate all her words. The king tried desperately to rein in his laughter.

"Yeah, probably, but try not to give her a hard time when you see her next. She was feeling pretty bad about it."

"S'should be. I...feel awful."

"Wait until tomorrow morning," was Roy's reply, which was met with a groan of dissatisfaction. "Come on, love, let's get you into bed. You're going to need the rest."

She struggled a little bit as he attempted to pull back the covers from underneath her, but eventually relented once the movement started to make her feel woozy again. After a little bit of work, Roy pulled the top cover back and managed to slip Riza's legs underneath. He pulled off her shoes and threw them aside before moving to the crown still on her head, knowing the last thing someone hungover needed was a heavy crown making their headache ten times worse...not that he knew that from experience or anything.

As Roy worked on getting the pins out one by one and prying the expensive piece of jewelry from where it had gotten caught in her blonde hair, he didn't seem to notice Riza let out an impatient sigh before her hands managed to weave around to the back bodice of her dress, pulling loose the ties keeping it together slowly but surely. In fact, the king only really took notice once he had gotten her golden crown free, set it aside, and turned around to find Riza's dress half off her shoulders. His eyes promptly widened and a red color appeared on his cheeks as the queen's milky white skin was revealed to him bit by bit.

Knowing he had to act quickly to prevent this from escalating, he dashed forward with his hands outstretched, and just a managed to keep the green dress from falling all the way down her chest.

"R-Riza! What the hell are you doing?" he desperately asked, even as she began fighting in his hold.

She let out an exasperated sigh and answered in an unconcerned voice, "Taking my dress off. You think I can...s-sleep in this thing? Too...t-tight," she offered, her voice quickly fading as sleep was starting to overcome her.

"Alright...fine," Roy spoke in an attempt to keep the situation under control as he lifted the dress back up over her shoulders, leaving the ties still half undone in the back. "But, gods, at least let me get you a nightgown first."

It seemed, even in her drunken state, she would give him that much as she sighed and shrugged her shoulders before laying back against the pillows, her dress still half undone. Roy quickly turned, hoping she didn't see the red blossoming across his cheeks, as he began searching through her wardrobe for a nightgown. Finding one that seemed suitable enough, he walked back over to the bed and and set it down. Helping her sit back up, he attempted to turn her around before undoing the last of the ties and lifting the green gown up and over her head. He made a point to have everything below her torso covered with the top cover of the bed. He wasn't sure how much of this she would remember, but he had a feeling if she recalled even a little bit of it, she wouldn't be happy about the liberties her drunken self was taking.

Leaving the corseted intimates that lay beneath the gown (and trying to ignore the sight of the pretty lace) Roy attempted to pull the nightgown over her head, but was immediately met with resistance.

"Noooo, t-take this...thing...off. Too...tight," the queen spoke in a shockingly childlike voice, still interrupted with hiccups every few seconds.

If possible, the king colored even further once he realized what she was asking. If he took off the undergarments she wore beneath her party gown, there would nothing left but her smooth skin. While Roy knew she wanted to be comfortable, he was quite sure she'd shoot an arrow through his eyes if she remembered this in the morning.

"R-Riza...I don't think-,"

"Ugh! J-just...do it. I can't reaaach," the queen said, stretching her arms behind her in a vain attempt to grab the tight ties of her corseted undergarments. Realizing she had him between a rock and a hard place (and knowing she wasn't going to just let it go if he didn't do what she wanted), Roy heaved a sigh, made her turn completely around so all that he could see was her back before he quickly began undoing the complex ties.

It was silent as he worked, even though everything in Roy's brain was practically screaming out at him as the queen sat bored atop the bed, a blanket covering most of her body from his view. Gods, he hoped she didn't remember this. It would make his life so much easier. Perhaps, he realized, he probably should have left Winry to take care of her sister after all. Her inebriation had demolished every last bit of her reservations and the last person around to witness it should have been him.

As Roy unwove the last few string keeping the tight undergarment to her chest, Riza spoke up once more. "You're...really good at that."

Roy let out a breath once he realized the implications of that particular statement. "Not my first time untying one of these things," he responded in a low voice, hoping she'd move on from the statement. While true, it wasn't something he really wanted to discuss with her, and certainly not while she wasn't sober.

Finally getting the last string loose, Roy, in an attempt to spare the queen a bit of her dignity, lifted the nightgown over her head without putting her arms through the sleeves. He then slipped the undergarments out from underneath it and let Riza pull the rest of the nightgown down. Once she had it adjusted and Roy took the discarded clothes and placed them to the side, Riza settled back into the bed, once again becoming slightly unsteady as she moved. Roy just knew she'd have a massive headache in the morning if she was already feeling the affects.

The king moved forward to fluff up her pillows and adjust the top blanket one more time, making sure she appeared at least somewhat comfortable. He then gathered a few extra blankets and a pillow and laid them out on the couch at the other side of the room. The queen stopped him as he did this, however.

"W-wait...you can...sleep h-here." Now instead of hiccups punctuating her words, she was interrupted by yawns. The king knew she was almost out, but her offer stopped him cold.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Riza," he told her.

She responded by letting out another groan. "But...I...want you to."

Roy smiled down at her fondly before leaning forward to move a stray lock of her mussed up hair out of her face. "I know, love, but we're already in a precarious situation. Best not to make it worse."

"Roy," she breathed out suddenly, her voice changing from childlike slurring to a deep and rather startling vulnerability. "I get...nightmares. I'm so...tired. Please...just,  _please_."

The king couldn't help but widen his eyes at her desperate pleas, shocked at the sincerity not only in her voice, but in her eyes as well. He weighed his options as she reached for his hand and began pulling, even though he could tell she was probably minutes from falling asleep. They had already shared a bed once before. Granted, they were both sober when they had done that, but something about the tone of Riza's voice as she beckoned him into her bed made him think she would've asked the same even if she wasn't borderline drunk and about to pass out. He had no doubt in his mind that nightmares had continued to plague her, and the only real time she was able to find any refuge from them was when she was in his arms.

That fact alone made his decision easy.

Even knowing she might have some questions (and some heated words) for him in the morning, the king still slipped underneath the covers of her bed and curled up next to her. The queen let out a content sigh before she lay back and was asleep within a few moments.

Roy lay awake for awhile watching her as she dozed off, wondering if they would ever be able to find true peace without each other. He doubted it, as he too was able to be lulled into one of the best nights of sleep he'd gotten since the last time they had done this.

They were both in deep, and now the king knew that better than he ever had.


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing that Riza registered was the feeling of what must have been an anvil resting atop her forehead. Her throat felt dry and parched and her stomach began to lurch as soon as she shifted on the soft sheets of her bed. Still, despite the general unpleasant sensations that were growing as she slowly awoke, she felt surprisingly warm and secure.

The queen let out a small groan, trying to piece together the fragments of her memory from the night before. The sun streaming through the windows illuminated her surroundings enough for her to recognize that she was in her guest bedroom at the Amestrian castle, which was a good start, all things considered. She remembered going to the party the night before, watching the Xingese dancers, sitting at the head table with Roy and Ling, and talking with Rebecca. Then things started to become fuzzy.

As her mind began to uncloud, she realized that the warm, secure feeling wrapping around her midsection was actually an arm. A strong, decidedly masculine arm. Alarm bells began to ring in Riza's mind as she shifted ever so slightly in the embrace to see who she had woken up next to.

The only thing she could fully get a glimpse of was a mop of unruly black hair. She immediately sighed in relief. Well, that was one less thing to worry about. Now what concerned her was how exactly she had wound up sleeping next to Roy in her bed when the events of the end of the party were still a mystery to her. Gods, she hoped they hadn't done anything too foolish. She remembered Rebecca coaxing her into having a bit of ale...but just how much  _had_ she drunk?

"Hey," she whispered in a hoarse voice, suddenly desperate for some water to clear away the dry, cracked feeling. She nudged insistently against where Roy's face was currently buried into her shoulder. "Get off, I can't move."

It took a few more shoves to get him to move, but eventually he startled awake. His eyes blinked away the sleep and confusion masked his normally handsome features as he also tried to figure out where he was and what he was doing. "W-wha…? Riza?" he finally managed to get out.

"Yes, it's me. Could you please let go?" she directed in an annoyed tone. The pounding in her head was becoming more and more pronounced. She was suddenly not in the mood to cuddle.

"Oh...sorry," he answered her, quickly unweaving his arm from around her midsection, a guilty expression now taking up residence on his face. That made Riza a little nervous, considering she still didn't know how they ended up in bed together and it was becoming clear that Roy did. Still, her focus right now was on getting some water and maybe an herbal root or something for her pounding head.

She had just managed to slowly sit up and swing her legs out from under the sheets when the door to her bedchambers burst wide open and a far too cheery blonde came waltzing through like she owned the place. Riza could almost feel her bed partner tense up at the sight.

"Good morning, my poor, drunkard sister. I hope you're not feeling too-," came Winry's happy-go-lucky declaration as she moved aside the curtains on the windows before she immediately stopped cold.

Riza sighed. Not again.

Unlike Sir Havoc, her sister at least had the decency to rein in her surprise almost as soon as it showed on her face. Then, she turned accusatory eyes to the raven-haired king groggily getting up from the bed, still dressed in his tunic from the night before, only missing his bulky boots.

"So much for no funny business, huh?" Winry spoke, crossing her arms.

Behind her, she heard Roy heave a hefty sigh as his feet hit the cold ground and he moved around the bed. Riza was still busy trying to adjust to the increased light. It certainly hadn't done anything to help her headache.

"Nothing happened, Winry. We were both tired, Riza offered me to stay, so I did. End of story," he said in a steady tone, reaching to a water basin on a nearby table, soaking a cloth in it, and wiping his face.

"Still," Winry began in a charged voice. Riza hoped she they wouldn't continue such a pointless argument. She was  _not_ in the mood for it. "It's a little strange to take a drunk woman up on an offer to sleep in her bed. She probably didn't even know what she was saying."

"We've done this before, Winry," the queen finally added, seeing no point in letting her accusations go further. She didn't like the sound of her having been drunk the night before, but given the way she felt and her fuzzy memories of the party, she had already come to that unfortunate conclusion. It was certainly the last time she listened to Rebecca Havoc's wishes.

Her sister turned shocked eyes toward her, but Riza didn't bother to acknowledge them. The water pitcher beside the basin Roy was currently using sounded pretty attractive at the moment and she shakily stood to her feet. "We've slept in the same bed before. And when I wasn't inebriated too. It's not a big deal. I trust him when he says nothing happened." She managed to make her way to where the other two stood and appreciated Roy placing a steadying hand on her arm as she filled a cup and took a few huge gulps of water. She hadn't realized how parched alcohol could make you.

"Why haven't you told me that?" Winry asked indignantly and, now that she was in close proximity, her high-pitched voice grated on the last of the queen's nerves.

"Because it doesn't matter. We're adults. We're in a relationship. We're allowed to do what we want."

Her sister apparently wasn't done. "B-But!"

"Winry," the queen cut her off in a low voice. "Drop it. I feel like unadulterated  _shit_ right now. I'm not in the mood." Riza gave her sister one last glare, took her cup of water, and slowly made her way back to her bed. At that moment, all she wanted was a nap, even if she had just woken up.

"I had to expect that this would happen. Even if you had barely anything at the party," Roy cut in, looking toward her sympathetically.

"Honestly, Riza, are you sure you're not already sick? It was bad enough how quickly you spiralled down, let alone how awful you look right now."

The queen gave a noncommittal shrug at her sister's question. "I don't know, maybe? All the excitement of the past few weeks might be weighing down on me."

"Then perhaps you should take a bit of a break," Roy offered.

Immediately he was met with a determined glare. "No, the negotiations are supposed to start in full tomorrow. I won't be missing any of that."

"I'm sure Emperor Ling would understand if you-"

"Stop it, Roy. I won't be shucking my duties any longer. It's bad enough I got drunk at the welcoming party," she lamented as she laid back against the recently propped up pillows on her bed. As she did this, she couldn't help but notice Roy and her sister exchange nervous glances and she immediately perked up in curiosity. "What is it?" she asked, leaving little room for them to avoid her question.

"W-well...that's something we should probably tell you, Riza," Winry was the first to reply, making it a point to avoid her sister's narrowed eyes.

"What?" Riza asked insistently.

"Y-you...didn't really get  _drunk_...per se. Rather, you revealed a particularly...interesting aspect of yourself," Roy added in. His words thoroughly confused the uneasy queen and a raised eyebrow was her only indication for them to continue.

"It seems...you're a bit of a lightweight," Winry spoke in a sensitive tone as she sat down at the foot of her sister's bed.

"Excuse me?"

"You only had two cups of ale, Riza. Yet somehow that was enough to make you completely delirious," Roy added, leaning up against one of the bedposts.

The queen waited for the inevitable punchline or 'gotcha' moment because surely the sheer ridiculousness of their meaning had to be a joke, but it never came. Both Roy and Winry continued to eye her with unease and a certain sense of fearful anticipation that came when waiting for an explosion to go off. Riza merely blinked as she looked between the two.

Before she burst out laughing.

"What on earth are you two talking about?  _Two_ cups? That's some kind of record. Can you imagine? Falling into drunkenness after that little? Seriously though...how much did I have?"

It was silent a moment, as Riza's mirth did not carry to her two companions, both of whom still exchanged nervous and uneasy glances. The queen wiped the last of the tears from the corners of her eyes as she watched them, her smile eventually fading when she realized what their curious looks meant.

They were being... _serious_.

"W-wait…" she started, the disbelief growing. "You don't  _actually_  mean to tell me I got drunk off of two cups do you?"

There was a thick silence that ensued as Roy and Winry silently argued over who would have to break the bad news even further to the queen before her mouth gaped open in shock and embarrassment. "No," she whispered. "How is that even possible? A queen of a powerful country taken down so easily? How mortifying…"

The look of horror now crossing her face must have finally brought the words from the room's two other occupants as they both rushed forward to comfort her.

"It's not that big a deal, Riza. We all have our weaknesses. And hey, at least now you know yours," Winry stated in what she attempted to be a hopeful tone.

"Yeah, exactly. And besides, it's not like everyone at the party knew what had happened. Only a few people were even made aware that you were drunk in the first place," Roy added.

"Who? Who else knows about this?" the queen asked in desperation.

"W-well...Rebecca was the one with you when you started your rather rapid...descent. She suspected it might be because you were poisoned or something so she got Havoc to take you back here. Then they told Sir Breda so he could investigate…"

"That many people!?" Riza asked incredulously, cutting her sister off.

"They were just trying to make sure you were alright. Honestly they all acted just as you would want them to. They made sure things stayed quiet while also trying to find any possible perpetrators. They went straight to Marcoh to check if you were…"

"Marcoh!?" Riza interjected once more, her eyes as wide as dinner plates as she tried to process and remember everything from the night before. This was spiralling out of control far more than she would've liked it to.

"Yes, Marcoh was here. He made sure you weren't in any harm. He was the one who figured out you were just drunk," Winry spoke, attempting to keep her voice straight even despite her sister's obvious distress.

Riza put a hand to her throbbing forehead as she thought of all the implications of what she had done. "Oh, gods…" she let out in a miserable tone, completely overtaken by mortifying embarrassment at such an obvious weakness. So this was why she never usually drank.

"It's not that bad, love," Roy offered, coming around to sit next to her on the bed, placing a reassuring hand on her knee. "The only people who know are those we can trust. And they won't hold it against you."

"It doesn't change the fact that I've made a mockery of myself," the queen lamented in a voice that could only be accurately described as pitiful.

Unbeknownst to the queen, Roy and Winry shared another look, this time silently communicating something not even Riza could have guessed. Eventually, once their little conversation was over, Winry cleared her throat, patted Riza on the knee and turned toward the exit to her bedchambers. "You know what? I think I'm going to go find some kind of a hangover cure for you. I'll be back in a little bit," she spoke in a far too nonchalant tone to not be suspicious before she shot Roy one last pointed look and was out the door.

Funny the way things had changed between the two sisters. Instead of comforting each other as had always been their practice, they now felt the need to leave it to the two men in their lives.

Roy came around to Riza's side of the bed and sat down next to her, lovingly rubbing across her upper thigh, though it did nothing to dim the look of sheer embarrassment and dread on her face. "I promise you it's not that big of a deal, Riza" he whispered in a reassuring tone.

Immediately her eyes were on him. "Not that big of a deal? Do you and Winry not understand that we have reputations to maintain? It's one thing for you or the emperor to get that intoxicated, but it's a whole other issue for me to do so. I should've never listened to Rebecca."

Despite everything, Roy couldn't help but smile fondly at her. "I assure you, Riza, you were not the only drunkard at that party. Not by a long shot. I can almost guarantee that the majority of the people who will be attending the treaty talks are nursing hangovers as we speak. And not a single one of them knows what happened with you other than me. I wouldn't fret too much."

Finally choosing to consider his words, Riza mulled over the thought in her brain. At the very least she could be thankful this little 'incident' of hers had been kept only among their most trusted group of friends. And while Marcoh wasn't necessarily a friend, she could tell he took his position very seriously and wouldn't reveal any of what happened. While the queen was still positively mortified that she had let herself become that loose so easily, she knew her friends wouldn't hold it against her.

Letting out a weighted sigh, Riza's gaze softened. "Just promise me you and all our other friends will forget this ever happened, alright? And make sure that if I'm ever even  _tempted_  to drink again, you will all stop me."

Roy couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips at her plea, which didn't help the queen's mood in the slightest. She narrowed her eyes at him and he attempted to remain serious. "I promise, my love," he assured her before reaching for her hand and placing a chaste kiss on the surface. In spite of everything, Riza couldn't help the small flutter that passed across her heart.

Roy stood to his feet once again and sighed. "I should probably get back to my bedroom before everyone starts to wake up. Can't have people making assumptions."

Riza smiled slyly, "Mm, wouldn't want that."

Quickly leaning down to kiss her forehead, Roy then straightened up and turned to leave, only to be cut off once more by the queen's voice.

As he turned around to face her, he watched as she looked down at herself, namely at her crisp white nightgown, with a curious look. "Roy…" she started cautiously and immediately the king knew what she was going to ask. "How did I get out of my party dress and into this?" Her eyes turned toward him with an accusatory glint and Roy swallowed guilty.

Pointedly avoiding her stare, the king spoke in a shaky voice, "I think that's a story for another day."

Before Riza could even begin to voice a protest, he was bidding her goodbye and dashing from the room faster than when Edward is told dinner is ready. She stared at the empty doorway in shock for a few moments before shaking her head and smiling fondly.

_Ridiculous man._

* * *

Alphonse Elric walked down the grand corridors of the Amestrian castle with a furrowed brow and feeling fantastically bored. While the rest of his friends' lives seemed to be carrying them faster than they could blink, he had slowed down enough to the point where his days dragged on far longer than they should have. He attributed part of that to his brother finally settling down. Ed and Winry had been spending most of their time with each other (doing what, Alphonse was both unsure of and uninterested in finding out). Whether they were working on wedding details or just spending time together, it meant Al was decidedly unwelcome.

It wasn't something he was too terribly upset about. Both he and Ed knew this day would come. They couldn't be brothers attached at the hip forever, and it was only a matter of time before a woman came along to butt into their tight relationship. Al was happy for his brother, really he was. Winry had long ago felt like a sister to him so the young knight was sure there was no one better for his high-strung and high-maintenance brother.

It did make his days a lot less interesting, though. Paninya was fun to hang around for a little while, but she was always busy practicing her music. Sir Havoc and a few of the other trusted knights were nice as well, but the age difference made it a bit more difficult to relate to any of them. Queen Riza was always good for a nice talk, but today was the start of the Xingese trade treaty talks, so she was hung up doing her very important job.

All in all, it made the younger Elric brother a bit listless as he roamed the castle, searching for anything to do. Not having to guard Winry constantly made his duties a lot more lax.

His thoughts were filled with possibilities of who he could find to at the very least drag into a game of chess or something when he turned the corner, lifted his eyes, and promptly froze in place.

There, walking the other direction toward him, and looking just as bored and aimless as he felt was the Xingese princess, Mei. The one he had completely made a fool of himself in front of at the welcome party a few nights ago.

He felt sweat start to bead on his forehead as she continued approaching him, dressed in a simple pink Xingese dress, admiring the artwork displayed proudly up on the walls. If Alphonse didn't know any better, he'd have said she also had far too many thoughts running through her mind, her eyes not really registering what she was seeing. He wondered how long it would take for her to notice him, or if she even would (was it wistful thinking to hope he could slip past without her seeing him?), and stayed as still as a statue as she meandered down the corridor.

Eventually, the inevitable happened and she lifted her curious eyes toward where he stood, promptly halting in place in surprise as she saw him. She let out a tiny and rather feminine "Oh!" and was still another split second before she relaxed and smiled sweetly at him. He remained immovable as she quickly approached, and only just remembered to bow respectfully.

"Uhh, good afternoon, Your Highness," he managed to get out.

"Good afternoon," she said in her high-pitched voice, eyeing him with a peculiar kind of curiosity, though her smile remained in place. "Sir...Elric, right?"

Trying to ignore the way his brain debated whether or not it was a good thing that she remembered him, Al managed to straighten up a little bit before clearing his throat and responding. "Yeah, but you can call me Alphonse, if you want."

If possible, her smile softened even more and a strange butterfly sensation erupted inside of the young knight. She really was as pretty as they all said. "Alright then, Alphonse. You can call me Mei. I also don't see much of a point in titles."

"G-good," Al stuttered out before the pair lapsed into a rather awkward silence. Suddenly the golden-haired Elric could not for the life of him think of what to do with his hands, eventually letting them fall stiffly to his sides.

Winry's advice suddenly rang through Al's mind as he attempted to think of something to say. Mei seemed nice enough to forgive his rather obtuse observations at the party, he just had no idea how to explain to her what he really meant. Would she be offended at his bold proclamation of her beauty? Or would she be even more angry that he had tried to backtrack? Gods, and he thought his brother was bad with women.

Managing to gather up enough courage to at least say  _something_ , Alphonse opened his mouth and began to speak, just as Princess Mei did the exact same thing. The pair both abruptly stopped, blushed, and fumbled over their words a moment until the princess nodded her head toward him. "You first," she directed, and Al knew he could never refuse her.

"Uhhh...well...I just wanted to um...apologize, I guess. I didn't mean to sound so...forward...when I talked to you at the party," he finally got out, nervously rubbing the back of his head.

Much to his surprise, Mei covered her mouth with her hand in a failed attempt to hide her giggle at his words. He didn't know what to make of the reaction until she finally managed to get her laughter under control and smiled at him. "I wouldn't worry too much about that Sir-I mean, Alphonse. I...well...appreciated what you thought about...some things."

Al couldn't remember the last time his face had been this red.

"Oh...really?" he asked in breathless disbelief.

Avoiding looking into his eyes, the princess responded. "Yeah...it's kind of nice to hear a man say what he really thinks."

His face must've turned into an actual tomato in that moment. "Oh, well thanks, I guess. Though I promise I'm not that direct normally. I hope I didn't offend you."

Mei shook her head and her intricately-done braids whipped around her face. "No, not at all. In fact, I've been meaning to track you down ever since the party."

The young knight was sure he was ready to combust. "O-oh?"

"Yeah, you mentioned that you're interested in alchemy and wanted to know more about alkahestry, and I've been dying to learn more about your kingdom's version. Maybe we could...talk more...about that?" she offered shyly, still not able to look him in the eye. Al, for once, was glad for it. If she was looking at him, she would've seen just how ridiculous he must've appeared.

Still, the prospect of her offer excited the knight more than really anything had in the last few weeks and he quickly straightened up, a determined look flashing across his face. "Yeah, I'd really like that! I've got a bunch of old notes stashed away that we can go through. They're over in the archives. Would you like to go right now?" he said, extending his arm for her to grasp. She eyed it with wide eyes and once again Al was afraid he'd overstepped his boundaries, before that same excited and determined look appeared on her own face and she quickly nodded her head.

Looping her arm through his, with an absolutely adorable tint of red ghosting across her cheeks, she responded, "Yeah, let's go!"

* * *

She gripped the front of his tunic with a desperation she hadn't even known she possessed. His hands were placed firmly on her hips, rubbing circles through the fabric of her day dress. She was half-straddled across his lap, not even taking the time to think about (or care about) how they might look if anyone were to walk in on them. One of his hands began to wonder to her back, traveling down, down,  _down_  till it rested just above the curve of her ass. She would've berated him immediately for the liberties he was taking if he wasn't already busy doing sinful things with his lips.

She gasped as his teeth ever so lightly grazed across her lower lip, begging for entrance. She couldn't possibly deny him now as she felt his insistent tongue mingling with her own. She had to fight to keep the groans from bubbling out of her throat, knowing he would only use them to fuel his already annoyingly large ego.

In an effort to take more control over the situation, she shifted on his lap so that she was fully over him now and lowered herself ever so slightly to the part where his pants were bulging  _just so_. The effect was almost immediate as he wrenched his mouth from hers and let out a disgruntled, " _Shit_ , Winry. It's dangerous doing stuff like that."

The blonde princess couldn't help but let out a giggle at her hot and bothered fiance, though she gave him enough of a reprieve by shifting so she sitting across his lap and not straddling it. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she left a small peck on his swollen lips. "Sorry, but you were getting a little too out of control for your own good."

Ed couldn't help but lift an eyebrow at that. "So your solution is to make it even worse?"

Winry's smile widened almost sadistically. "My solution is to remind you," she began as she lowered her mouth so that their lips only just ghosted around each other. "How  _weak_ I make you."

Ed shuddered visibly at her words and Winry couldn't help but chuckle darkly at him. "Gods, Winry, if you keep saying stuff like that I might just drag you out to get eloped."

This time, Winry's laugh was far more genial than seductive. "Now where would the fun be in that?" Their lips finally met once more, as it seemed Ed was tired of her teasing, before he pulled back and lifted his eyebrow.

"From where I'm sitting there would a lot of fun in that. A  _lot_."

It didn't take a genius to realize what he meant.

She merely shook her head at him and tucked her head in the crook of his neck as one of his arms began lovingly rubbing up and down her own. "This time will be over before we know it. Then, we can be husband and wife to our hearts content."

The groan Ed let out was far more genuine frustration than arousal, "I don't think I'm patient enough for that."

"You'll manage, as you always do," she teased as she raised her head back up and kissed him with all the fire and purpose she could manage. One of her hands went to cup his face and the change in angle did  _wonderous_ things. She knew they were dipping into dangerous territory doing things like this, but she found she was far too insatiable to stop herself. Their wedding was still months away, but what she knew she felt for him was here and now.

As things started to escalate and Winry also began wondering if she was patient enough to stop them from going all the way, the sound of footsteps approaching the sitting room they had situated themselves in set the pair into motion. Immediately, Winry broke the kiss with wide eyes, meeting Ed's equally distressed gaze. She quickly hopped off his lap and they both made an attempt to appear less unkempt right as Riza burst through the door with a flourish.

"R-Riza!" Winry managed to get out, trying not to appear obvious as she smoothed out the wrinkles of her dress. She calmly walked back over to the table where she and her fiance  _had_ been figuring out the seating arrangements for the wedding just as her sister came around and practically flopped onto a nearby couch. "You're back from the meetings early. How did the treaty talks go today?"

The queen let out a hefty sigh and Ed and Winry exchanged a grateful look that she didn't appear to have caught on to what they were just doing. "Oh, they were fine. It's only the first day so most of what we talked about was just basic preliminary things. It's not particularly difficult, it just drones on for far too long," Riza lamented as she lifted her hand to her head, rubbing at what must have been a developing headache.

Winry couldn't help but smirk and cross her arms. "And here I thought I'd never catch the great Queen of Aerugo complaining about her political duties."

"It's hardly complaining," Riza shot back. "You'd have to be a statue to enjoy sitting at a chair for hours listening to lords and commanders drag on about nothing."

Her sister smiled. "Well, all the same, it sounds like you had a productive day."

"I suppose," Riza stated, curiously looking over at where Ed was blushing with a pillow held to his lap. She lifted an eyebrow, but decided to save him some dignity by not addressing it. And, she figured she didn't want to know. "How much did you two get done?"

Winry sighed and looked back to the diagram of the Amestrian great hall that they were trying to hash out. "Some, but not nearly enough. This is a lot harder than I realized it would be."

Riza smiled knowingly. "Yes, the politics of social life can be rather exhausting. Making sure to put the second cousin and the step-mom twice removed nowhere near each other while also seating Commander So-and-So near Lord Whoever so they can agree on deals gets tiring."

"You certainly sound a bit more prepared for it than I was."

Riza sighed. "I can help, though it'll have to be after the treaty talks each day."

"Well, at least help me figure out this one. Commander Armstrong said she wanted to be seated near the Amestrian higher-ups, but also needed to be far away from her brother who said he wanted to be as close to our table so he could wax poetic about our love, or something. I can't figure out an arrangement that works out for the both of them."

Heaving a sigh, Riza bent over the diagram and gave a few suggestions to her sister, who placed the small figurines representing their many guests in a hypothetical configuration to see what would work best. They continued like this for a little while, as Ed watched them practically dying of boredom when yet another commanding figure burst through the door of their sitting room.

"Well," the king stated, once he saw what the two sisters were doing. "This looks fascinating."

"Fascinating might not be the correct term, but 'frustratingly necessary' would suffice," Winry quipped, looking about ready to pull out her hair. There was a reason she and Ed had abandoned the futile seat arranging for their 'extracurricular' activities. It was driving the princess up the wall.

"It is rather taxing. Social politics have never been my strong suit," Riza let out with a sigh, also looking to be at her wits end. The beginnings of the exhausting trade treaty talks certainly didn't help.

Thankful that they were in a room with two of the only people who knew of their budding relationship, Roy walked over to his queen and began comfortingly rubbing her back, attempting to ease a bit of her tension. "I'm sure you'll figure out a solution. You always do," he reminded with a quick peck to her temple. She smiled gratefully at him as best she could, though the stress beginning to mount was too much to brush aside.

"Did you have something in particular you needed me for, Roy? Or were you hoping I'd be alone?" the queen asked with a small smirk as she stood to her full height and leaned into Roy's arms. From the side, the pair heard a distinctive groan and turned toward the golden-haired knight with eyebrows raised.

With his arms crossed and his feet leisurely resting atop the table he looked like the teenager he really was. The disgusted look on his face at their display of emotion didn't help curb the immature appearance in the slightest. "And you say  _we're_  obnoxious," he commented with a sneer.

The king merely rolled his eyes, used to his knight's antics before turning back to Riza. "Well, I was hoping to at the very least take you on a walk and discuss some of your thoughts after the first day, but clearly you've been pulled in a more immediately dire direction."

"Yes, it seems so. As wonderful as that sounds, right now Winry's problems take priority."

"Oh come on now, you don't have to make yourself miserable for my sake, Riza. This can wait until tomorrow."

"The quicker we get it done the quicker the headache goes away," she stated definitively before turning back to Roy. "Sorry," she offered.

Sighing a touch too dramatically, the king spoke, "Well, it can't be helped. I guess I'll try and find some other way to occupy my time."

"You could try doing your job," Ed offered in a sarcastic tone from his place at the table.

Before Roy could berate his snippy comments, yet another figure walked through the door, though this one was decidedly less familiar.

"Your Majesty! I'm glad I found you. A visitor has come to see you," the servant said as he bowed and addressed his king.

Roy's face scrunched up in confusion. "I wasn't expecting anyone."

"Yes, he mentioned he came unannounced, but that it was still  _very_  important."

"Who is it?"

"Lord Grumman, Your Majesty. He said he had something very urgent to discuss with you."

As soon as the name left the servant's mouth, Roy's eyes widened and his entire body froze. He took the time to look behind him at the two sisters, who both had returned to their diagram, brainstorming arrangements without a care to the servant's message. The fact that they hadn't reacted meant the king knew  _exactly_  why his old mentor was here and  _exactly_ what would happen once he got what he wanted.

Straightening up and attempting to sound composed, the king said, "Tell him to meet me in my throne room. We can  _discuss_  things there."

The servant quickly bowed and exited the room to carry out his orders, leaving Roy overwhelmed with dread and apprehension. There was only one reason why Lord Grumman would show up unannounced right now...and the king knew it spelled instant disaster.


	8. Chapter 8

Roy's footsteps were heavy as he approached his throne room, dreading the conversation he knew was about to happen. He still couldn't even begin to think of why Grumman would choose now, of all goddamn times, to make himself (and his secret) known. Things were going so well, and his former mentor's plans would only muck everything up.

He waited as the double doors were pulled aside, took one last steadying breath, and entered the ornate room. Standing in the middle, calmly observing his surroundings without a care in the world was the elder man. When the king entered, he turned and flashed a pleasant smile in his direction.

It made Roy want to punch something.

Still, ever the diplomat, he managed a genial smile and walked up to his guest. "Lord Grumman," he greeted coming forward to shake his hand. "This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting you to make an appearance."

The familiar chuckle resonated throughout the room as Grumman smiled and returned the greeting. "Sorry about that, my boy. I was going to warn you, but I figured things would go easier if you didn't have any advance notice."

 _Things would go your way, you mean,_  Roy thought to himself, holding back a grimace. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?" he began, wanting to get to the meat of why his old mentor was here.

Grumman's smile faltered slightly and his expression turned serious. "The Aerugonian queen and her sister are staying here right now, correct?"

Roy gritted his teeth. The last infinitesimally small part of him that hoped this wasn't about what he thought it was about dissipated with the question. "Yes, they're here for the peace treaty talks."

Grumman nodded his head, expecting the answer. "I see. And am I right in saying the young princess is engaged to one of your knights?"

That threw the king off, as his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly in surprise. "H-how did you know that?"

The old man chuckled once more. "News travels fast in this kingdom. Everyone in the eastern region has been talking about it."

A part of Roy knew that would happen, but he still wasn't happy about it. His face remained neutral as he nodded his head to acknowledge the truth of Grumman's words.

"Then I think you know exactly why I'm here, Roy. The time has come to finally tell them, especially before the youngest gets married. I've waited long enough."

Though the king knew exactly what Grumman would say, he still couldn't help the overwhelming lump of dread that dropped into his stomach the moment the words were spoken into existence. Ever since he had grown close to both the Aerugonian sisters, he knew that this would become an issue eventually. Grumman was too sneaky and conniving to not come for the promise he'd made with Roy all those years ago. Finally, the older man was collecting on their agreement, and the king knew it wouldn't end well.

"Lord Grumman," he began in a low voice. "I don't think now's the right time."

As expected, Grumman's face twisted peculiarly at his response, and his tone became even more serious. "Now's the  _only_  time, Roy. I didn't expect you to offer any resistance."

"Things are…different than they once were. I don't think you should burden them with this news right now. They already have enough to deal with."

Grumman tilted his head curiously and the heat behind his eyes reminded Roy of when he was still a teenager learning how to be a good king from the Amestrian court's most trusted member. He could practically feel his old mentor analyzing him, searching for his hidden meaning as well as he always did.

"Different  _how_ , Roy? You wouldn't have any ulterior motives preventing you from allowing me to talk to them, would you?"

"This isn't about  _me_ ," the king harshly began, finally steering his dark eyes on the elder man, who met the gaze coldly. "This is about the queen and the princess. They both have a lot going on right now. Queen Riza is busy negotiating a peace treaty and Princess Winry is planning a wedding and getting ready for marriage. If you told them this now, you'd only upset them. It'd create even more of a rift than is already there."

Suddenly, and with the precision of a deadly warrior, Grumman's eyes narrowed furiously and Roy immediately felt guilty under the heat of the stare. It was the same look his father would give him when he had done something foolish. It made the powerful king feel like a peasant, and Roy had to use immense strength not to wilt under the force of it.

"You made me a promise,  _boy_. And you are in no position to break it now."

Something inside Roy snapped at Grumman's words and he immediately turned his fierce gaze back on his old mentor. "No position!? I am your  _king_ , Grumman, you'd do well to not forget who the hell you're talking to."

"I made you into what you are today, Roy. You would not be a king if it weren't for me, so I would watch yourself before you try and pull rank right now."

"I am no longer your little pet project. In this house and in this kingdom, you answer to  _me_."

If possible, Grumman's eyes hardened even farther. "That doesn't change the fact that you made a promise. And I've never known you as a man who would go back on his word. You agreed that I would get to tell them who I am whenever I wanted to."

A thick silence ensued as both mentor and mentee stared each other down menacingly, weighing everything that had been said. Roy hated how right the older man was. He had made that promise, but he never would have imagined it would come back to bite him like it was. When he had made the agreement he hardly even knew Riza or Winry. He didn't really care when Grumman decided to tell them the news. He was only in it for what the other man could give him and he never could have imagined it would come to this.

"Lord Grumman...trust me, for once in your life, when I say that now is  _not the right time_."

"Roy, I am their  _grandfather_. I am their last remaining link to their dead mother, there could not be a better time. I've waited too long."

The king sighed and resisted the temptation to rub the bridge of his nose to ease the headache. It was obvious he was not going to win this argument, and the implications of what would happen when he told the Aerugonian women of their heritage made his brain hurt.

Bottom line, when Riza found out that Roy had known who Grumman was, she would be furious with him.

"Why are you so averse to this, boy? What's in it for you? Since when did you start thinking that seriously about the feelings of the Aerugonian royalty?"

Ah, and there was the question Roy had been hopeful his mentor would never ask, but the old man was far too astute, and far too nosy, to not pick up on it.

When Roy's eyes met Grumman's, a flash of understanding appeared between them as the elder of the two came to a distinct realization. "How well do you know Riza and Winry?" he asked in a low voice.

Roy couldn't even bring himself to answer him.

"Or, I suppose given the princess's engagement, how well do you know the queen?"

The pointed tone with which he asked the question had Roy's eyes widening in shock at having so easily been figured out.

"Ah, I see. There's more in this for you than I had originally thought. That certainly does complicate things."

"Grumman, it's not what you-,"

"Oh, I'm fairly certain it's exactly what I'm thinking. You've grown close with the queen. To the point where if she found out you'd been keeping this from her, even as a promise to me, she'd be angry with you."

"And yet you still want to tell them," Roy spit out bitterly, not even bothering trying to deny it any longer.

Grumman's eyes narrowed again. "I have to tell them...and I will." Before Roy could offer any more arguments, the elder man went to go find a guard to ask Winry and Riza to come to the throne room. Then he went to where one of his own servants was waiting just outside with an ornately carved chest in his hands and took it from him gently. The king raised an eyebrow at the object, but didn't say anything, too focused on figuring out a way to make him get out of this situation relatively unscathed.

He knew it was a lost cause though. Riza was frightfully sensitive about anything to do with her mother. Once she found out her mother's father had been alive this whole time, purposefully keeping himself from her and Winry, and that Roy had known about all this, she was bound to be furious with him.

Before he could even dwell on his pessimistic thoughts any longer, footsteps were heard approaching the throne room and the Queen and Princess of Aerugo entered through the ornate doors unannounced, looking curious, but still woefully ignorant of what was to come. Roy attempted to brace himself.

Grumman's eyes widened as he got his first look ever at his two estranged granddaughters. Too focused on his own problems to really care to notice, Roy didn't see the way tears pulled in the corners of the older man's eyes as he watched nearly speechless while they passed him by and walked up to where Roy stood.

"The servant said you needed to talk to us about something. Is everything alright?" Riza began calmly, ever the diplomat.

A part of Roy's heart tugged at the sight of them. Grumman was nearly in awe, but they seemed to be blissfully unaware of the previous tension that had enveloped the room. They looked at him expectantly, though he saw both their gazes quickly darting to the stranger standing frozen off to the side.

"Y-yes," Roy finally found it within himself to reply, as much as he didn't want this meeting to happen. "I believe an introduction is in order. Your Majesty, Your Highness, this is one of my old advisors, Lord Grumman. Lord Grumman, I present Queen Riza and Princess Winry of Aerugo."

Both women turned curiously to the older man and watched as he stood silent for a split second, before remembering his manners and bowing before them. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Riza was the first to speak, tilting her head as per the usual routine.

"The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty," Grumman spoke reverently, still bowed low. He nervously stood back to his full height and fidgeted with his hands, seemingly searching for the right words.  _Sure,_ now  _he's all scared, when a minute earlier he was confidently proclaiming his intention to tell them the truth despite my objections,_ Roy thought bitterly to himself.

"What brings you to the castle?" Winry politely questioned when it became obvious Grumman wasn't saying anything more.

Not able to meet their eyes, the older man spoke in a shaky voice. "I-I came here because I heard the both of you were currently guests in Amestris and I thought it the right opportunity to finally introduce myself. I knew the time had come to reveal something I should have revealed years ago."

Roy cautiously watched as both the sisters looked confused at the man's words, but they still let him continue.

"I'm afraid what I have to tell you both will not be an easy thing to grasp, but it is still necessary."

Suddenly, the king felt Riza's curious gaze on him and he tried not to appear too guilty. "What's he talking about, Roy?" she asked quietly, not even bothering to address him by his proper title.

Grumman continued on as if she hadn't even spoken. "I've kept this secret for far too long, and it's about time you both really knew who I am. The truth is, I'm not just one of the old royal advisors. I have a special connection to the both of you."

Winry's face furrowed curiously while Riza remained silent. "What kind of connection?" the princess asked.

Lord Grumman let a small, fond smile pass across his face, as if he was remembering something. "The noble Grumman family has been a driving force behind a good amount of the Amestrian success. We've always taken great pride in our name and in our kingdom. Unfortunately, my daughter was one of the only ones to not see her heritage as something to be revered."

If Riza and Winry were confused before, they were most likely completely befuddled now. Roy wondered if they were starting to believe he'd introduced them to a madman. "And what does that have to do with my sister and I, my lord?" Riza questioned.

That fond smile still in place, Grumman answered her. "My daughter betrayed our family, or at least that's what I thought she had done. She went to your kingdom, to find prestige and to find love. I never would have imagined she'd be as successful as she was."

At this, Winry's eyes remained wide with confusion, while Riza started to take on a more skeptical and apprehensive look. She always had been the faster thinker of the two siblings.

"My daughter's name...was Cordelia. And she became the Queen of Aerugo."

At that moment, it seemed as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. The silence was nearly suffocating as Winry and Riza froze, eying this strange new man with looks of astonishment and disbelief.

"My daughter was your mother. I am your grandfather, and I live everyday regretful that I waited this long to reveal myself to you."

Roy eyed the sisters apprehensively, wondering just how the both of them would react. Riza still seemed frozen in shock, while Winry's mouth open and closed a few times and she shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the news. Suddenly, her eyes found his and she asked with an unsteady tone, "Roy, i-is he...telling the truth?"

Before the king could even think of a response to that, Grumman spoke up. "If you don't believe me, I think these will help change your mind." With a small turn, he went to where the ornate chest from before had been placed and brought it over to them. He got to his knees slowly and opened it up, revealing its contents to the sisters.

"Your mother and I had quite the falling out before she died, but she still kept in touch with my late wife, and left her these things upon her death. I believe you might know what this is," Grumman spoke in an unreadable tone as he delicately removed what looked to be meters of sheer, white fabric, ornately embellished and designed.

Winry let out a gasp as he pulled it out, apparently recognizing it right away.

"M-mother's veil!" she exclaimed as she reverently stepped forward and ran her hand softly across the beautiful material.

Now it was Roy's turn to be surprised, as he watched Grumman hand it over to the princess to inspect, which she did with wide eyes and an awe-filled tone. "Yes...it has to be. It's exactly as father described it! Right down to the lilies sewn along the side. I can't believe...we thought it'd been lost."

Grumman nodded his head in understanding. "Yes, that's what Cordelia and especially Boden wanted you to believe. Your father wanted nothing to do with me after she died, so any evidence that I might be still around was kept from you. The fact that she left her veil to us always angered him. To be honest, I think she only did it as a reminder of her decision, and our reaction to it."

Winry looked to be near tears as she touched more of the fabric and held it to herself with shaking hands. "I-I can't b-believe...we still have this part of her."

Roy chanced a glance at Riza, and marveled at how her expression had not changed at all, even as she watched her sister admire their mother's wedding veil, the one they had apparently thought they'd never see. She stood as frozen as an ornate statue, and he wondered how long she'd be able to hold it in. He knew her well enough to see her mind was swimming with thoughts, but she couldn't even begin to express any of them. So she stayed silent in shock.

"One of the reasons I decided to come right now and bring you this was because I heard about your upcoming wedding. I have no expectations of how you choose to handle this news. I'd understand if you never wish to see me again after what I've done, but I still wanted you to have this. You...you look so much like her," Grumman spoke, his voice breaking as he laid his eyes upon Winry. She eyed him back, unsure of even how to respond before he sighed and fished something else out of the chest. This time, he only produced a small and worn, leather-bound book.

"And this, I wanted to present to you, Your Majesty," he said unsurely. Winry at the very least seemed to appreciate what ended up being her 'gift', but Riza had not shown any shred of emotion yet, still frighteningly unreadable. He approached her apprehensively and presented the book in his hands. "As you are the only one left to have truly known Cordelia in her happiest times, I feel it only appropriate to give this to you. It's a journal she kept. I haven't dared read it, but I know it dates from back when she was in Amestris to at least sometime after your birth."

Even as he held out the book to her, Riza remained silent and ever so still. Roy was beginning to seriously worry that she was in so much shock she had become completely immovable, as her eyes darted slowly from the book in Grumman's hands, up to his unsure gaze, then back down to the journal. Eventually, once he realized she wasn't going to just up and accept it, he sighed and brought it back down by his side.

"I know I don't deserve to even be listened to right now. I've made so many wrong choices in my life, and most of them dealt with how I treated my daughter, my only child. Cordelia never found it in her to forgive me and I don't expect any less from you, I just wanted you both to at the very least have these things, and finally be told the truth. You deserve that mu-"

"How  _dare_ you!" Riza's infuriated voice finally rang out across the throne room, stunning everyone else there. Grumman looked taken aback by her outburst, while Roy and Winry watched her warily, seeing the way her eyes lit up with a frightening kind of anger. "How  _dare_ you come here, expecting us to even look at your face let alone accept the things that should have belonged to us the moment our mother died!" Riza's voice increased in volume and she took a few menacing steps closer to the older man. Grumman kept his mouth shut and guiltily looked down, all the while keeping her encroaching proximity at the forefront of his thoughts, no doubt.

"We had been told for as long as we both remember that our mother had no family left. And now you come here,  _years_ after she died expecting us to accept you? To understand you? To even  _listen_ to you? What arrogance, thinking you could wave our mother's possessions in front of us to make things less difficult for  _you_."

As he watched her approach the nearly trembling man with an anger he had never even seen from her before, Roy wondered if he should try and step in. It was obvious, as he had predicted, that she was not taking this well. He had tried to warn Grumman, but like Riza was pointing out, the older man was only concerned about getting the news off of his chest and protecting his own emotions and guilt. Roy knew this wouldn't end well.

"If what I suspect is right, you  _rejected_  our mother solely because she loved a man who wasn't from this kingdom. Solely because she followed that love and became a stronger person than you could ever dream of being. You kept yourself from her, you kept yourself from her  _children,_  and now you come back. And for what purpose? To absolve yourself of guilt? That will  _never_ happen."

"R-Riza," Winry finally let out, her eyes wide with shock as she watched her sister's anger boil over.

The queen wasn't done, however. "I have lived my entire life since the day my mother was taken away from me, thinking that she had no piece of herself left in this world besides myself and my sister. You have no  _right_ to take that from us. You have no  _right_ to come back into our lives whenever  _you_ please. You have no  _right_ to even stand before me, the Sovereign Ruler of the kingdom you apparently despised so much and claim you have  _any_ part in our lives."

Roy nearly took a step forward to stop her rapidly encroaching and positively deadly form before she stopped on her own suddenly, stood to her full height, and narrowed her eyes dangerously at Grumman, who dared not speak a word.

"I don't even need to know the full story of this 'estrangement' you claim to know without a shadow of a doubt that you are a  _despicable_  excuse for a father...let alone a  _grandfather._  And I hope to never lay my eyes upon you again," Riza bit out in a frighteningly cold voice before she turned and stormed from the room without another look back.

The silence descended like a palpable weight on all their shoulders. Roy waited a few more moments in complete shock before he followed after his raging queen with a determined resolve, knowing this wouldn't end well for any of them, but also knowing the last thing Riza needed right now was to be alone.

He didn't even watch as Grumman's head fell to his chest in total and abject shame.

* * *

"Riza!" Roy desperately called after her, watching as she picked up the ends of her dress and ran down the lengthy corridor. "Riza, slow down!" he pleaded, wanting to hit himself over the head for how winded he was getting. Surely he wasn't letting his training go that severely?

He shook away his own selfish thoughts as he sped up to catch the woman he loved before she did something dangerous.

With one last burst of speed, he was able to reach her eventually, her heavy day dress weighing her down far too much. He reached for her arm and turned her around to face him desperately, but she yanked out of his grip. "I do  _not_ want to talk about it, Roy," she spit out at him before she turned and stomped down the hallway again.

"Wait! Come on, Riza, you can't keep this all to yourself. You need to talk to  _someone_." Again he caught up to her, pulling her into a small supply room off to the side for some added privacy. Closing the door behind him, she steered her icy glare on him but didn't make any attempts to leave.

"I don't want to talk about this with anyone right now, Roy."

He vehemently shook his head. "No, Riza, that's not how this works. You know keeping it all bottled up inside doesn't help anyone. Even if you just want to scream, I'm here for you."

"Oh, I could scream all right," she spoke through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes. "Don't even try and talk me down, Roy, that  _despicable_ man does not get an ounce of my forgiveness, let alone my listening ear. How  _else_ am I supposed to react knowing the one remaining person from my mother's family had purposefully kept himself from us until now?"

"Riza," Roy tried to say in a calming voice. "It's okay to be upset."

She scoffed. "You're damn right it's okay to be upset! What else would I be? If he thinks he can just waltz up here and give Winry our mother's veil and me her journal just to butter us up, he's a madman. Why did you even let him in here, is he still a trusted member of your court?" she asked incredulously, and Roy immediately regretted the way he'd handled this. Already they were delving into dangerous territory and she wasn't even close to being calm.

"He's always been a member of the court...My father gave him most of his lands."

Riza crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow. "That doesn't really explain why he just waltzed in here like he owned the place. You weren't even expecting him! Are you two that close?" she asked accusingly and the king immediately knew all hope was lost.

"Riza...he was my mentor. He's half the reason I've run this kingdom as well as I have. He's always been trusted in my home."

"Not trusted enough to not treat his daughter like she doesn't exist, though. How can you even still look upon a man like that?"

"Riza...it's more complicated than you know," he spoke, trying to placate her.

Expecting another scathing rebuttal to that, Roy watched apprehensively as Riza suddenly stilled. Her body froze and her face furrowed as it looked like a thought occurred to her.

"Wait…" she began, her voice low and somewhat dangerous. Roy didn't like the sound of it at all. "You say he's always been a nobleman, trusted by you and your father, correct?"

"Well...yeah," he responded, not really sure why she was asking him this.

"And it sounds as though my mother lived a good part of her life as part of the Amestrian nobility. They were friends...our parents."

Roy's face scrunched up in confusion. "Riza, what does this-"

"Did you know?" she finally asked, her eyes swiftly finding his, and his heart dropped into his stomach at the near fearful look behind them.

"W-what?" he breathed out, not wanting to believe that they were even having this conversation, though he still knew his time was up.

"Did you know...that Lord Grumman was my grandfather, if he was supposedly your mentor and your father's friend?"

Roy swallowed deeply and thought of how he should handle this. He could always lie, but something told him that would just make all of this worse. Enough people knew about the situation that it probably would've gotten back to her eventually. So, taking a deep breath to steady himself and trying not to think about the sheer  _betrayal_ in her eyes, he answered with a thick and weighted, "Yes."

It was silent for a split second, before she slowly reeled back, eyeing him like he was a different man. Her stare was so accusatory he could barely stand it. "You knew about this? You knew my mother had family in Amestris? You knew who he was?"

"Yes, Riza, I knew. Most of my father's court knew. But I didn't know that he would come back to tell you today. When he showed up unannounced I was just as shocked as you." Roy knew it was lame and a cheap move to try and shift the blame off of him as best he could. He knew he wasn't in any way innocent in this situation, but he still couldn't stand the look in Riza's gorgeous chocolate brown eyes.

"How long?" she asked in a frightfully low voice, taking a decisive step away from him.

"What?"

"How long have you known?"

"Riza, I don't see why that's-"

"Answer me, Roy!" she abruptly cut him off with a shout, her voice echoing off the walls of the small room and making him feel a touch of fear himself. He could practically see the way she stiffened up, the distrust oozing off of her body. It was frightening when it was directed at Grumman, but it felt heart wrenching to have it all on him now.

Finally, he sighed and figured there was no point in lying, yet again. "He told me not long after I became king."

Riza took another step back and practically swayed on her feet. In any other situation Roy would have reached out to steady her, but he knew she would just push him away if he tried that now. "Y-years?" she breathed out, her voice shaking. "You've known about this for years? Even after my sister and I came to Amestris...even after I...even after we…"

Roy's heart sank as he watched small tears begin to form at the corners of her eyes, despite her best efforts to keep them away. Oh how badly he wanted to reach out and wipe them away, wipe all her pain away, but he knew he couldn't.

"You saved me from the voice in the  _pond_ , Roy. You  _knew_ how much my mother and her legacy meant to me. And yet you still... _why_?" she asked, her voice no louder than a whisper, such a stark contrast to her oozing anger from the throne room.

Roy couldn't help but look away from her accusing stare. Her eyes spoke of all the emotion she was trying to keep away and it gutted him like nothing else could. "He made me promise not to tell you until he was ready," he admitted in defeat.

Riza's mouth opened slightly, but no noise came out as she grappled with that response. Eventually, her eyes narrowed and he could feel the chill her body was taking on. "And you took his side instead of being honest with the woman you love? I see...I see where your loyalty truly lies," she bit out coldly before she shoved past him and made for the door of the supply room.

Overcome with the frost she was exuding, and knowing he couldn't let it end like this, Roy reached out to stop her. "Riza, please, let me explain!"

She violently wrenched herself out of his grip at that and turned vicious eyes on him. "No! You've made it plenty clear what it is you think." He watched helplessly as the tears finally began to fall and she angrily wiped them away, not wanting to show him her weakness.

"Riza, please!" he shouted in one last desperate plea.

"Just let me be alone for once in your goddamn life, Roy!" she screamed before she shoved through the door and ran full speed down the hallway. He watched her go in shock and silence, wanting to command his feet to chase after her, but unable to move an inch.

The hole he felt growing in his heart was unbearable and left him completely speechless.

* * *

Winry looked at the place where Roy had run after her fuming sister in shock, her hands still delicately holding the fragile and beautiful fabric of her mother's veil, not even knowing what she should do. She stood still in confusion for a moment, before she couldn't help but let her eyes wander over to the elderly man, who looked completely dejected at the queen's angry words.

Even despite everything, she couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the man. It was obvious that this wasn't something he had just woken up one day and decided to get off his chest. He had clearly been agonizing over his decision to keep himself from his grandchildren for  _years_  and it had quite obviously taken a toll. The amount of courage it must have taken just to come here and finally attempt to make things right, even though he knew he would most likely be flat out rejected, was unimaginable.

Winry was still angry with him, of course. How could she not be? But she didn't have that personal connection to their mother like Riza did. And she liked to think she was a person who tried to see all sides of things, so she spoke in an unsure tone, "Riza took our mother's death hard, you know." She was surprised that that had even come out, but she knew this was something that needed to be said, especially when Grumman turned his sad eyes curiously on her, almost afraid she would lash out at him too.

She let a hand ghost across the veil affectionately and took a step forward. "Riza  _adored_  our mother. With every part of her being. When she died it was like she...stopped being her true self. We've only just starting getting glimpses of it even all these years later. So the way she reacted...it's expected."

Grumman's head pathetically nodded at Winry's words. "Yes," he spoke in a dejected tone. "I wasn't really expecting much from this. I just knew it was something I couldn't keep in any longer, and, no matter what you both thought of me, needed to be said. Your mother's things were not an attempt to get you to think any better of me. I only felt they belonged to you both, as your sister said."

Despite everything, Winry couldn't help but flash a small smile. "I know you weren't trying to butter us up. And regardless of what I think, having these back in our lives means more than you can even know. Finally seeing her veil...I can't even describe it," she spoke in awe, as she finally set it down in the chest as if she were handling a newborn. "I can at least thank you for bringing it back to us."

Grumman widened his eyes at her, but then his expression fell. "You shouldn't be thanking me. You should be yelling at me like your sister. It's what I deserve."

Winry tilted her head. "Maybe. But what you don't know is that Riza and I are very different. She's strong-headed and strong-willed. She loves fiercely, but she also loses herself fiercely. This wasn't the first time she let her emotions get the better of her." Winry grimaced when she remembered what Riza had told her the confrontation with the old Cretian king had been like. She suspected it wasn't much different than what the princess had just witnessed. "But me...I'm more like my mother."

At these words, Grumman lifted his eyes to her, widened with shock. Winry smiled softly, yet sadly. "I'm strong, to be sure, and I'll make sure everyone knows it...but I still like to think there's more good in this world than some people care to believe. And I like to see the other side of things."

As he watched her in disbelief, Winry nodded down to the chest. "I don't think my mother left you these things to spite you. I think she did it...so that you would always know you were a part of her...even after whatever happened that divided you two."

The older man seemed speechless for a moment, as he processed Winry's wise and insightful words. When he found a shred of truth in them, he looked up at her expectantly. "I know I can't do anything to make you forgive me, but could I at least...could I at least tell you the story of how your mother and I drifted apart?"

Winry smiled softly and plopped herself down right in the middle of the king's throne room, patting the space beside her. "I'm listening."


	9. Chapter 9

Riza's feet took her down the winding staircase and to the place with the ornately carved entrance before she could stop herself. Her hands still furiously wiped away the tears that kept wanting to stream down her face despite the way she berated her loss of composure.

 _This is foolish_ , she inwardly scolded.  _If you're going to claim yourself as a mighty queen you can't let your emotions be on display for all to see._

Even despite her admonishments, the tears still flowed, as she finally arrived at the sacred place and burst through the doors, barely even remembering to remove her shoes before she did so.

She took hasty footsteps to the etched stone she had been looking for and dropped to her knees with a flourish. Her mother's unlit shrine stood as still as she remembered, and Riza had to wonder why she even came here. Was she hoping for answers from a piece of rock? Maybe she really was losing her mind.

Even so, she braced her hands on the cold floor and bent over in front of the monument, her chest heaving with the force of her cries. Her mind was so jumbled she couldn't even form words, so she sat there for longer than she even knew, sobbing in front of the shrine that she wished more than anything would turn into her mother's physical form, so she could find some kind of comfort in all of this.

Her heart wrenched as she thought of what had just happened. In the span of less than half an hour, she'd gone from helping plan her younger sister's wedding to having a secret grandfather and feeling a visceral sense of betrayal even just thinking about the man she was supposed to love. Her mind couldn't stop replaying the words of her long-lost grandfather and the way Roy had desperately tried to get her to listen to him.

She wasn't ready for it though. She wasn't ready for any of this. Just when she thought she had finally found some direction in her life it had all been ripped out from under her. Why here? Why  _now_? As if she didn't have enough to deal with.

A small part of her wanted to run back and find Roy just so she could feel his arms wrapping around her shaking form. Immediately, she cursed it. She was not that weak. Despite the tears steadily flowing down her cheeks she would not have anyone think she had become so affected. This last year had been about finding herself and her purpose as a ruler. She had fallen in love in the process, but maybe this had all been a mistake.

"Oh, mother," she choked out, watching as the droplets running down her face fell unceremoniously onto the stone floor. "I just wish you were right here beside me. I wish you weren't just words carved on a stone. I need your direction. Your  _help_." Her pleas bounced off the empty walls and reverberated back to her aching heart. Of course she received no answer as her head pathetically lifted to look upon the small shrine, only one stone slab in a room with hundreds.

Without even meaning to, her eyes drifted to the shrine beside her mothers, and, if possible, she felt even worse. One of her hands instinctively reached for the crest around her neck and it felt as though it was burning her. She wasn't even sure if she deserved to wear it, as she read those fateful words over and over again.

_Queen Isabella of Amestris, Wife of King Roy_

_Death by Illness_

Her anger at the Amestrian king seemed to dissipate the longer she stared at the shrine. What a different world it would be if these two women were still in it. If Isabella was the one receiving Roy's love, if Cordelia was still raising her daughters, perhaps even making up with her estranged father. Would they still be friends? Would Isabella not have been shunned and abused by her own family? Would Riza not feel this ache within her very soul?

She shook her head against those thoughts. She couldn't live constantly dwelling on what  _could_ have happened. She had to deal with what  _had_ happened, and there was certainly far too much stress in her life already to face such terrifying questions.

With one last longing glance toward the shrine, she stood to her feet and tried to steady her breathing. Now was not the time to be caught up in personal affairs. She was still angry with Roy, and positively furious with her supposed 'grandfather', but there was nothing she could do at this point except face the reality. Tomorrow she would have to walk back into the negotiation room and fight for the rights of her kingdom to be recognized by Amestris and Xing. She was a queen, the  _only_  ruler Aerugo had. If anything, focusing on that job would help numb some of the pain.

She took another deep breath and left the shrine room without looking back.

* * *

As Grumman began his story, Winry sat listening with rapt attention.

"Cordelia and I never truly saw eye to eye about anything. She was far closer to her mother than she was to me, and she had no other siblings to turn to for help. I was always more focused on my position within the court. King Phillip trusted me more than all of the other nobleman, so much so that he asked me to help train his son for the throne."

Winry's eyes widened at that, but she stayed silent as Grumman continued.

"As I'm sure many people have already told you, Cordelia was always a free spirit. We knew that even when she was no older than a toddler. She'd sneak out of her bed when she was supposed to be taking naps, would absolutely refuse to listen to  _anyone_ , and just generally did what she pleased."

Winry couldn't help but smile at that. She really was just like her mother. That all sounded frightfully similar to the way both Riza and her father had always described her.

"I was raised on respecting authority. I had been brought up that way for the sole purpose of getting our family more prestige and lands from the king...and I did it. The fact that I could never control Cordelia made it so we always butted heads.

"And, of course, that carried us both into her teenage years. Not only was she a free spirit, but she was also a hopeless romantic. As soon as she was presented in court, she could think of nothing else besides who she would marry."

Winry smiled sadly to herself.  _That sounds even more familiar._

"Men fell over themselves from all circles to try and court her. She gobbled up the attention like a glutton. She was a magnificent dancer. All eyes were drawn to her no matter what party she attended.

"But as much as we disagreed, I was still fiercely protective of her. Aloof and distant, I was still her father, and I wanted to make sure her marriage would be good for her." Grumman scoffed at this point in the story. "I even at one point tried to convince King Phillip to marry her. After all, what could be better than your daughter marrying the king? But Phillip had always been set on Roy's mother. I didn't even try to break them up."

Winry spoke for the first time since he had begun, too overcome with curiosity not to ask, "Did you try and arrange her a marriage?"

Despite everything, Grumman smiled fondly. "Of course I did, and that was the first of many terrible mistakes. I went to talk to quite a few noblemen friends about their sons, had a dowry set aside...everything. I knew Cordelia wouldn't approve, so I chose to do everything behind her back. When she eventually found out...it wasn't pretty."

Winry could only imagine. The thought of her own father trying to marry her off to anyone was sickening. If she had done that, she would've been stuck in a potentially loveless marriage and never would have met Ed.

"She was furious with me, made multiple attempts to run away, but my dear wife brought her down each time. We came to an agreement that Cordelia could marry someone of her choosing, provided they had the proper prestige. It placated the both of us, but it still permanently marred our relationship. I still have so many regrets about the way I handled all of it."

Winry looked at the elder man with a peculiar glint in her eyes, watching the way his face fell at the memory. Already she was beginning not to like his role in this story, but the fact that he was even telling it to her, not bothering to hold back any of the grittier details, at least meant something.

Grumman continued. "And then...King Phillip befriended King Boden, and I made the second mistake in my long list of them."

Winry already knew how this had played out.

"They were introduced, as is normal and proper in the court. I think Phillip always destined for them to be together, as he basically played their matchmaker. From what I was told, they didn't even like each other that much at first, but then, because they were consistently seeing each other, especially when Boden made his summer trips to Amestris...they gradually fell in love."

This part Winry had heard directly from her father, but there was still something she was confused about. "Why did that upset you, though? If you wanted her to marry someone of prestige, there can't be anyone better than a king," she asked, trying not to sound too accusatory.

Grumman sighed and responded, "Yes, however the problem wasn't found in his status, but rather his nationality. In addition to being prideful about wanting my daughter to find a man of good wealth and fortune, I was also fiercely loyal to my kingdom, and couldn't picture her being in any place other than Amestris.

"I immediately opposed the union when they told me they wanted to marry, and Cordelia had been just like you...confused. She couldn't understand what I was against her becoming the Queen of Aerugo, and I couldn't quite explain it in a way that didn't make me sound horrible."

 _But you were horrible_ , Winry almost uttered before she stopped herself. The regret and self-loathing practically rolling off the older man was obvious enough, so she had to remind herself that this was something Grumman had always felt had been a mistake. She had to listen to everything with an open mind.

"I told them I wouldn't give my blessing...least of all a dowry, but it didn't matter to Boden and Cordelia. She didn't need my money, and the king was so in love with her he didn't care for any kind of dowry. I thought I could stop them, but looking back I now know their love would meet no obstacle it couldn't cross."

It was silent as Winry thought about her beloved parents. While she may never have known her mother, she and her father had been very close, and the way he talked about her even long after she passed was evidence enough of how strong their love had been. Cordelia had given up her relationship with her family to be with him. And Grumman had let her go.

The older man shook his head. "I closed myself off completely from the both of them. I didn't go to their wedding, didn't come to see Riza when she was born...nothing. I wanted no part of her life...even though she was my only child," he spoke, his voice beginning to shake with emotion.

"What changed your mind?" Winry asked, trying to keep her own emotion at bay.

A lone tear fell down Grumman's face and, even in spite of everything he'd done, a part of Winry's heart tugged at the sight. "When I heard the news she'd died giving birth to you, it was like my entire world came crashing down. I had always struggled with the regret, even while she was alive, but I had gotten it in my head that there was no turning back. We were both too hurt to try and make amends. And before I knew it, she was gone.

"They say the worst thing a parent can do is bury a child. But I think in my case it was even worse, because I didn't get to bury her. I didn't get to celebrate in her happiness and I didn't get to mourn her death. I had made so many terrible choices and I didn't even realize it until she was ripped away from me."

Winry let a tear of her own fall down her face.

"But I was being selfish. I'm still being selfish. If I thought my pain was bad, I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Boden and especially poor Riza. They got to be a part of her life, they got to love her, and that made it all the more painful to watch as she died. Even your grandmother, who I learned later had seen Cordelia a few times in an attempt to make amends without telling me, suffered more than I can even know. She passed not long after her daughter, and to this day I still think it was because of the grief.

"So now I'm alone, with no family to love. I don't even deserve to be here telling you this story. I think I only did it for myself. To try and grasp at one last bit of my own blood...my family."

Winry remained speechless as he finally turned toward her and placed the full magnitude of his eyes on her form. "I don't deserve to be anything close to a real grandfather for you both. I lost that right decades ago, but I still think you and your sister needed to know everything. Needed to hear it from me. I know Roy wanted to tell you both, but I made him promise not to, because I knew it had to be from my mouth, not his."

The princess's eyes widened at that. "Roy knew about all this?"

Grumman sighed. "Yes, and I  _beg_  you not to hold it against him. It was my fault and my fault alone. I put him in a difficult position and then capitalized on it. I'm only just now realizing that."

Winry pondered his words for a moment before she let out a sigh of her own. "I won't hold it against him. I can understand why he felt he couldn't tell us but...oh, poor Riza," she breathed out with a small gasp once she realized what the implications of that fact were. Roy had just run after her, it probably wouldn't have taken her sister long to figure out and then...it couldn't have gone well.

Bringing her back from her thoughts, Grumman spoke up. "I broke our relationship past the point of no return, and it's obvious from Riza's reaction what her thoughts toward me will always be, but I at least want to offer myself to you. Whatever way you wish to treat me, I will accept it."

Winry took a good deal of time to think about it. She was still angry with him for the horrible way he treated his daughter, her mother, but at the same time, she didn't feel that connection to Queen Cordelia that Riza did. Sure everyone liked to remind her that they were practically the same person, but she never  _knew_ her the way others did. And maybe it was selfish of  _her_ , but after watching her father die, she still wished to cling to every last scrap of family she had.

"It won't be easy," she spoke in an unsure tone, "And as you say, you'll never be able to be a normal grandparent, but even though Riza will most assuredly object, I'd at least like to try and have some kind of a relationship. Even if that's just through a simple letter every so often informing you of how our lives are going."

Her words caused a sense of hope to nearly overtake the older man, before he reined it in and eyed her skeptically. "You're sure? Even after hearing that story?"

Winry smiled softly. "It's certainly not a story that makes me feel any kind of affection for you, but I can tell you're being sincere when you say that you regret it all. I can see the guilt and, yes, even the suffering you've been through. I can at least do my part, in whatever small way, to help you with that."

Grumman's eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock. He looked to be near tears once again, and had to stop himself before he could wrap her in his arms in gratitude. "You have no idea what this means to me."

Winry was unsure of how well this would all turn out, but she knew keeping a grudge for too long could only end in ruin. She was sure her sister would agonize over this for a long time, maybe as long as he was alive, but she didn't want that to be her story.

"I think I can get a sense," she replied with a bit of a teasing smile, as she shared a meaningful look with her grandfather.

* * *

Riza took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her raging nerves as she looked at the closed doors of the negotiation room. Despite her desires, the next day came, and now it was time to get to work. She would have to sit just to Roy's side and act like their argument and the tears she had shed for most of yesterday never happened. She had to do it though. For the sake of her kingdom, she would push her raging feelings aside. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd done it, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

After the argument with Roy and running down to the sacred shrine room in tears, she had wandered the emptier parts of the castle and secluded herself as best she could. She didn't want to hear Roy's excuses and she didn't want to hear her sister's reassurances. She just wanted to be alone. So she tucked herself away until it got dark and went to sleep in her guest room without eating. A few times she had heard her sister attempt to go see her, no doubt furiously trying to assess her thoughts after Grumman's 'big reveal', but the queen didn't have the mental or emotional stamina to have that conversation quite yet. So she didn't go to dinner and asked the guards standing outside her door to politely tell her sister to go away.

But now it was a new day. Riza had nibbled on the breakfast she'd asked the servants to bring to her, had dressed in one of her fine dresses, had her hair done up in the traditional style, and had placed her crown on her head, trying her best to ignore the immense weight of it. She didn't really feel like being a queen at the moment, but as was usually the case, she didn't get much of a choice. One last deep breath escaped her before she nodded to the guard to open the doors, and she entered with her head held high.

She was announced as per the usual routine, and all the people gathered stood to greet her properly. She walked inside regally and nodded to those who bowed to her before she stopped before Emperor Ling.

"Good morning, Your Imperial Majesty," she spoke reverently, not a trace of emotion in her tone as she curtsied before the Xingese man.

Ling, blissfully unaware of the tension that began to creep into the room the moment she entered, smiled and bowed in the traditional Xingese manner. "Good morning to you as well, Your Majesty. We missed you at dinner last night."

At the first acknowledgement of the previous day, Riza immediately tensed, but then forced herself to relax as she attempted a reassuring smile. "Yes, I was feeling a bit under the weather and decided to go straight to bed," she lied, figuring he wouldn't know the difference.

His face furrowed. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope this day is treating you better than the last."

 _We'll see about that_ , she thought inwardly to herself. Forcing another polite smile, she replied, "Yes, let's hope."

Finally, once the emperor stepped aside, she was forced to walk up and greet the last person she wanted to be in a room with at the moment. Although, if she really thought about it, he wasn't technically the  _last_ person. That honor fell to a certain elderly Amestrian nobleman.

As she approached where Roy stood at the head of the long table, she braced herself mentally and lifted her eyes toward his with an emotionless expression. He was mirroring her gaze, seemingly also understanding the importance of putting aside their personal squabbles for the sake of being diplomatic. She curtsied before him as well, even though every part of her motions felt forced and wrong. "Good morning, Your Majesty," was all she said as she watched him return the greeting with a small bow.

"You as well," was all he said before he let her walk around to her place at the table, and the three rulers sat down, the rest of the room following suit shortly after.

If anyone noticed the rapidly building tension exuding from the Amestrian and Aerugonian leaders, they wisely kept it to themselves as the negotiation talks began and the usual proceedings progressed.

The trade treaty talks had so far been frightfully boring, as they were mostly filled with the usual bureaucratic nonsense that needed to be gotten out of the way before they could discuss the actual terms. However, today, Roy had promised they would finally see the first draft of the treaty itself, which he had apparently been working on with his council for quite some time.

Riza only half-listened as one of Roy's court members went through his usual monotoned words for hours, trying to ignore the heat she could nearly feel coming from the man seated just to the left of her. Gods, having him right there beside her and having to clamp down on every last one of her emotions was tortuous. It seemed as though he was going through the same struggle, as his hand would clench and unclench every so often from where it rested beside her on the table.

Finally, blessedly, the monotone court member finished, and Roy surprised everyone in the room by standing to his feet. "Thank you, Lord Falman," he spoke in a flat tone. "Now that we have all the preparatory work out of the way, I think it's time to give everyone a glance at what we're really discussing here," he said as he nodded to a nearby servant, who Riza just now noticed was carrying a pile of parchment, no doubt the treaty drafts.

The servant dutifully passed them out to everyone, starting with Ling and Riza before moving to the rest of the room, and Roy continued as they all began flipping through it. "It's of course still tentative, but I think this should give everyone a better idea of what I personally consider to be a full and all-encompassing list of terms."

Murmurs began to ring out among those gathered as they started reading the terms of the trade treaty. There were nodded heads, quite a few proud looks, and a general positive consensus as everyone got through it.

Eventually, Emperor Ling turned toward the king and spoke with a smile, "I knew this would benefit us both, Your Majesty. You've drawn up a great treaty here, and I think Xing will be able to have a great working relationship with Amestris."

Everyone seemed to be proud, excited, and pleased with the terms as the highly beneficial allyship with Xing felt even closer to fruition.

Roy even took the time to actually smile.

But Riza couldn't feel anything other than sheer confusion.

"I'm sorry, I think there must be some sort of mistake in mine...it says Aerugo only receives twenty percent of the revenue from the new trading, while Amestris and Xing both get fourty."

The excited murmur ceased almost immediately after she had finished speaking and Riza couldn't even figure out  _why_. Surely, they weren't all celebrating such a horrible deal? Sure, the two main proprietors of this treaty would be Amestris and Xing, but Aerugo was still very much a part of the deal. But only giving them twenty percent? It was so absurd the queen couldn't think of it as anything other than an egregious error.

However, as she began looking at all the faces staring back at her (not a one of them either Aerugonian or female, she realized with a harsh and sudden clarity), she understood that this was no mistake.

Silence continued to greet her as she stared in shock at all the men, unsure of what to even say. Did they really think she would be okay with taking only twenty? Aerugo was smaller, sure, but not  _that_ much smaller. They were already doing poorly economically. Riza envisioned the trade treaty as being the exact kind of boost her kingdom needed, which was why she agreed to being part of the talks, but only twenty percent could put her country in an even worse hole than what they had started in.

Despite how much her mind screamed at her not to, her eyes eventually found Roy's, figuring out of everyone, he would be on her side about this. However, when she looked upon him and found that he was eyeing her with the same guilty and unsure look everyone else was...she realized her mistake.

He wasn't on her side about this at all. If anything...this was probably his idea.

" _Twenty_ percent?" she repeated in shock, her voice rising a touch. As attuned as she was to the way he displayed his emotions, she didn't miss the small flinch Roy gave as she began. "That's it?"

"Your Majesty," he started in a small voice, not even bothering to look her in the eye. Riza's festering anger only grew at the sight. "After much discussion, and weighing the potential risks and benefits, we decided twenty was the most appropriate amount."

"Who decided?" she quickly bit out.

Roy's eyes closed momentarily, possibly to brace himself for the upcoming onslaught. "My entire court and I...as well as Emperor Ling and his advisors."

Before Riza could argue against that bit of information, she turned in shock toward the emperor. Her heart promptly dropped when she saw his normally boyish and carefree expression had turned serious. "That doesn't make any sense," she began in a low tone, shifting back toward the king. "No one knows my kingdom better than I do, yet I was never a part of these so-called 'discussions'."

"Your Majesty," Roy countered once more and Riza was starting to become quite infuriated with the condescending tone he was using. "This treaty is fundamentally between Amestris and Xing. Our kingdoms have historically always brought in more money than Aerugo has, so we figured it was more important to work things out between us individually before adding your kingdom into the mix."

Riza sat back in shock at that flimsy explanation, not even able to grasp at the way she was being shut out of all of this. What was the point of even bringing her here in the first place if she was only a footnote to their talks? Aerugo was no small, meaningless kingdom, but if these terms went through, they'd no doubt become one.

And like hell was Riza going to let that happen.

Before she could even begin to calm herself down, she spoke in a low and dangerous tone, "If either of you think for a  _second_  that I'm ever going to accept something as pathetic as twenty percent, you're madmen."

Almost as quick as the words were out of her mouth, Roy's eyes met hers with a ferocious heat of his own. She realized after the fact that he was probably so heated because of how much of a pet project this entire treaty had become to him. For her, the one person who was supposed to be supporting  _him_ , to completely demolish it must have set off the same anger in him that she was feeling at being so rejected.

Of course, she couldn't really give a damn at this point.

Roy and Riza glared each other down, the silence surrounding the room feeling intense and palpable, before Emperor Ling's carefree voice suddenly rang out. "Well! We knew we wouldn't agree on everything. That's what negotiation talks are for, after all. It's been a long day already and we're all tired. I think the best next step is to dismiss, come back in a few days once we've all done our proper research, and argue our cases."

His voice may have been nonchalant and relaxed, but Riza knew right away that the emperor was trying to avoid the inevitable blowout. No one would look good if they let that happen, especially the rulers of two longtime ally kingdoms. The queen immediately berated herself for letting her anger get the better of her as she turned back toward the emperor.

"Yes," she let out slowly. "I think that's a good plan as well...because accepting those terms right now would be  _laughable_ ," she gritted out, her eyes flashing accusingly back to Roy, who met her stare with a ferocity of his own.

So it wasn't the most mature thing she'd ever done, but looking at the way he seemed to be angry with  _her,_ of all things, bubbled all her emotions right up to the surface, and she was hard-pressed to keep them back.

"Fine," Roy bit out, as he stood to his feet to dismiss everyone. "Let's pause and come back to this in two days. We'll each present our own arguments and go from there," he spoke authoritatively, though his barely repressed anger was still there, festering in his tone.

Too focused on making sure Roy knew just how upset with him she was, she didn't notice Ling looking between the both of them curiously, analyzing their every move. Finally, an understanding look came upon his face and he stood to his feet, the Xingese representatives present following his lead. "Sounds good to me! I'm  _starving_ ," he spoke easily, passing by the seething king and queen with a flourish, his men following after him.

Roy and Riza stayed put as the king nodded to his court members and they all warily got to their feet and began to exit. Not interested in 'discussing' this any further, Riza stood and made to leave as well, before Roy's strained voice stopped her.

"Could I speak to you for a moment, Your Majesty...alone?" he managed to get out. The last remaining members of his court flashed him unsure glances, as they couldn't decide whether leaving the king and queen to hash it out on their own was a good idea or not, before Roy's angry glare sent their direction had them all scurrying out the door, closing it definitively behind them.

Once the pair was alone, the tension descended on them both, making the silence unbearable. Eventually Riza realized she'd had enough. "Twenty  _goddamn_  percent, Roy!? Are you insane?"

The king's eyes flashed and he took a menacing step toward her. Riza wasn't even close to backing down though. "If I'm insane, what does that make you? You made me look like a fool just now, Riza!"

"You made my entire kingdom look like a fool! What the hell were you thinking even bringing me in to this negotiation if you're going to give me so little?"

One of Roy's hands slammed down angrily atop a chair, but Riza didn't even flinch. "You know as well as I do that Aerugo would not be able to produce enough to warrant a higher percent. This was the most fair amount possible."

"Fair!?" Riza countered incredulously. "What do you take my kingdom for, Roy? Yes, we're not as great and mighty as Amestris and Xing but we can sure as hell hold our own. We won't be able to, though, if we're only allowed  _twenty_   _percent._ "

Roy opened his mouth to immediately counter, but Riza wasn't done yet. "Also, don't forget that your precious kingdom would be overtaken by Creta by now if it weren't for me and my army, so you'd do well to not imply that we're nothing in comparison."

It was silent a moment as the pair continued glaring daggers at one another, before Roy sighed and looked off to the side, accepting defeat in their little staredown.

"Riza, please don't let our personal issues get in the way of-"

"Our personal issues!? Do you mean to insult me this way as well? Do you really think I'm that incompetent of a ruler that I would let my personal feelings toward you get in the way of fighting for my kingdom?"

Roy sighed through his nose, trying his best to rein in his own anger. He could see they were getting nowhere. "Riza, this is not-"

"No, Roy, I want you to listen to me," she immediately spoke coldly, interrupting whatever placating words he was trying to attempt. "While it may be true that Aerugo cannot produce as much as Xing or Amestris, I can guarantee you, giving us a smaller part of the trade treaty will only serve to send my kingdom into ruin. I can make it so we up our production to meet the bigger demand. I can do it!"

"Riza," Roy bit out, clamping down on the angry words she could just tell he wanted to spew at her. "I am not going to argue about this with you anymore. It won't get us anywhere."

The queen stilled at his words before straightening to her full height and narrowing her eyes dangerously at him. "Fine, but in two days, when we reconvene, I hope you'll be ready to present your case...because I'll sure as hell be ready to give you mine."

And with that, she turned away from him and stormed out the room, again holding back the desire to let the tears fall from her face.

She had cried enough over him.

* * *

A servant passing by the negotiation room carrying a basket of linens stopped and bowed before the rapidly approaching Aerugonian queen. He remained bowed before her, even as she stomped past, looking positively enraged. He wasn't quite sure, but he even thought he saw the remnants of tear streaks on her face. She was moving fast, as if she was on some kind of mission.

The servant straightened up, looked down at the useless linens in his basket, and gave a soft and brief smile. After going down to the part of the castle where the linens were washed and sorted, he dropped off his basket, and snuck out a back entrance, down to a secret tunnel stretching under the inner walls of the castle grounds.

Pushing through a small, inconspicuous opening that led up into a side street in one of the village areas of the Amestrian capital city, the young man quickly dashed out into the crowd of people going about their daily tasks. It took a bit of time and some well-practiced navigating, but the servant eventually found the old, dilapidated building he had been looking for. After showing something to the man standing guard out front, he was let through.

He walked to where the backroom was lit, only a small candle illuminating the space. After knocking hesitantly at the door, a low and sultry voice beckoned him inside.

He stepped through the door and looked nervously at the beautiful woman with the velvety black hair and piercing violet eyes who sat at the table inside the room nonchalantly.

"Close the door behind you," she commanded softly and he did as he was told.

When he sat across from her, she lifted an eyebrow. "Well? What do you have to report?"

"Lord Grumman made his appearance at the castle. From what I'm told, he revealed his true identity to them in the throne room. The queen ran away furious, the king not long after her."

The sultry woman smiled. "Good. And?"

"I just saw the queen running from the negotiation room looking angry and upset. She might have also been crying at one point. I think it's safe to say she didn't enjoy the terms your other source reported to you."

The woman laughed. "Who would? The king is positively full of himself, as usual. This will be easier than we thought. And you're sure they had another argument the day before?"

The servant nodded his head. "That's what a friend of mine said. He watched the queen quite literally running down the corridor crying. Then, when he looked the other way, he saw the king staring after her. They both seemed pretty upset."

"And let's hope it stays that way. The cracks are starting to appear in our lovers' relationship. We won't even have to influence them any more if this keeps up. Remember to keep an eye out, but don't seem too suspicious. You won't get your money if you're found out."

The servant gulped and nodded. "Of course. I'll do my best."

With one flick of her hand, the woman dismissed the servant and he dashed from the quiet room without another word.

It was silent a moment as the woman pondered over the newest developments before she smiled sadistically at the figure in the corner. "Well, Envy, it seems our plans are going swimmingly. It won't be much longer."

The unidentifiable figure hidden in the shadows let a sadistic smile of their own cross their face. "Seems so. We might not even have to do much. Just wait and see how this all plays out."

The woman called 'Lust' laughed once more. "Yes, indeed. Let's see how our beloved king and queen handle their trouble in paradise. Then we'll make a move...

"It won't be much longer."


	10. Chapter 10

Winry descended the small hill that stood between the rest of the castle grounds and the extensive archery range, knowing before she could even catch a glimpse of the wooden observation stands that she had  _finally_  tracked her belligerent sister down.

She had been trying to find Riza since the day before, after Grumman had related the story of what had happened between him and their mother. Not only did the princess want to gauge her older sister's reaction to the groundbreaking news, she also wanted to find out what had happened with Roy. When she had gone to dinner the night before, Riza had been noticeably absent and Roy had looked like someone had punched him in the gut. Winry could only guess what had been said.

Multiple attempts to talk to Riza after she'd finished eating had been met with a snobby guard standing outside her sister's door telling her that the queen just wanted to sleep and that she should 'come back another time'. In any normal instance, Winry would have stormed past the guard without another thought. Riza was her  _sister_ , for gods' sake, and she wouldn't let anything stop her from seeing her.

However, she also knew Riza well enough to know that she would be too moody and reclusive to hold a decent conversation, so, even though it went against every fiber of her being, she'd let her older sister stew by herself, with plans to find her the next day.

Of course, the negotiations got in the way of that, but the princess had seen Emperor Ling enthusiastically demolish what had been provided for their midday meal hours ago, so that couldn't have been what was holding her. No, she had most likely run off to try and be a hermit once more, but this time Winry wasn't going to let her.

So she searched a few spots throughout the castle she figured her sister would be hiding and had been unsuccessful in finding her. After a quick check with the grounds servants to make sure no one had seen her leave the castle gates, she went down to the place that should have been an obvious choice, but she had only just thought of a few minutes prior.

And, when Riza's head of light blonde hair was spotted as Winry descended toward the range, the princess couldn't help but give a small smirk. Of course Riza had come here to blow off steam, she should have suspected she'd be here right away.

"So this is where you ran off to. I thought I'd never find you," Winry spoke out, interrupting her sister mid-stance as the queen lowered her bow and turned in shock at the sound of a new voice. When she spotted her sister, she merely narrowed her eyes and turned back around, raising her bow once more and taking a clean shot at the target.

It, of course, went straight where all the others had: almost exactly on the center mark.

"You should've known I'd come here," Riza finally spoke as Winry walked through the wooden gate dividing them and stood next to her sister's well-practiced form.

"Maybe," Winry spoke with a nonchalant shrug. "I don't really care about that now. All that matters to me is that I finally have you alone. We have a lot to talk about."

Another arrow whizzed directly into its target before the queen sighed and turned slightly toward her younger sister.

"Winry, I don't want to talk about this right now."

Immediately the princess crossed her arms and scoffed. "Well, tough. Because I let you have your moment of solitude yesterday and now you need to face this. You're not going to get me to back down, Riza. We'll have to discuss it anyway, might as well do it now."

After the last arrow from her quiver zoomed into the target, the queen let out another sigh, set down her bow, and walked toward the hay-covered wood she had been shooting at silently. Winry followed after her, making it well-known that Riza couldn't avoid this any longer.

"Fine, you can talk while I practice. I can't be out here much longer before I have to get back to the royal library," the queen spoke in a flat tone as she pulled the arrows out of the target one by one.

This made Winry pause, as her face furrowed in confusion. "What? Why?" she asked.

The queen paused suddenly in her movements, before she shook whatever thought she'd had away and continued. "It's a long story."

"Well, I'm obviously all ears. Tell me what happened."

There was another pause as Riza weighed her sister's request before her face took on a look so subtle, that if Winry had been anyone else she would have missed it. But the princess had years of practice reading her unreadable sister, and she immediately could tell that something was seriously wrong.

And it probably went far deeper than Lord Grumman.

"Riza?" she asked in astonishment, as her sister pulled the last arrow out and walked back to her station, trying to keep a straight face as best she could. "What's wrong? What happened?"

As Winry followed her back, Riza immediately slammed her bow down on the bench she had been working from and swiveled around suddenly, her eyes lit with barely contained rage. " _Roy_ happened."

"What do you mean?"

Riza angrily turned back toward her station, picked up her bow, and loaded an arrow before she fired off another perfect shot. "He's so full of himself. It's like I don't even know him anymore."

Winry started to suspect she knew what this was about, but there was still something about the rage she could see behind her sister's eyes that made her think this was bigger than Roy not telling her she had a grandfather. "What did he do?" she cryptically asked.

Riza scoffed, another arrow burying into the target. "He directly attacked the integrity of our kingdom and my ability to rule. He finally gave us the terms of the treaty today. If things go his way, Amestris and Xing get forty percent of the revenue, while Aerugo only gets twenty."

Winry watched her sister with wide eyes after that bit of information. "Wait,  _what_? That's ridiculous!"

"Yes! That's exactly what I said, but apparently the king thinks I insulted his intelligence and his  _own_  ability to rule. When I expressed how absurd his terms were, he had the audacity to get mad at  _me_!" Riza spoke, her voice rising in volume as arrows landing in the target punctuated her words. "And that's, of course, on top of the fact that I found out yesterday he had known all along about Lord Grumman being related to us. He had made him some sort of promise years ago, and decided to stick with it even after we all grew close."

Winry's shocked expression faded a bit at that. "Yes, Grumman told me so himself."

A particularly speedy arrow landed in the hay and Riza turned toward her sister once more, her eyes afire. "Ah, yes, and as if all of that wasn't enough, now we apparently have some long lost grandfather. A man who, even though she was his only child, ignored and abandoned our mother at all the major points in her life. He wasn't there when I was child, he wasn't even at her  _funeral_. How the hell am I supposed to keep my composure when all of this is just piling up?"

"Riza, right now you need to breathe," Winry spoke soothingly. She could recognize the signs of rising panic within her older sister (gods knew she'd experienced enough of it herself over the past two years) and knew she had to keep the queen somewhat calm before she blew up and did something foolish.

Riza didn't look particularly interested in getting her anger under control, but she still managed to reel back enough to take a deep breath.

Once she was sure the queen would pause long enough to listen, Winry started in a gentle voice, "Now, I don't really know what to say to the king's treaty terms. I agree that they're ridiculous...so ridiculous that there has to be something else going on. We  _both_ know him well enough to know he wouldn't slight us this much without reason."

"And what possible reason could there be?" Riza angrily bit out before her sister could stop her.

"I don't know," Winry answered honestly. "But everything about that sounds strange. Did you even get the chance to ask Roy why he chose such a low portion?"

A slightly guilty look overtook the queen's face as she averted her sister's knowing gaze. "Well...in a way. He claimed we wouldn't be able to meet the demand. But he doesn't know Aerugo like I do...like  _we_ do. It just seems like an awfully flat reasoning for a rather large decision."

"Well, there you go! Even you think what he's saying sounds odd. And I take it you didn't question him long enough to get an honest answer, huh?"

If possible, the guilty look strengthened. "No…" Riza muttered out. "It devolved into a shouting match before I could."

"And I'm sure your anger from yesterday had nothing to do with that?" Winry asked, a small knowing smirk on her face as she crossed her arms. Riza eyed her strangely and then let out a tense breath.

"Since when did you get so perceptive?"

Winry smiled. "I've always been this perceptive, dear sister. You're good with the ruling a kingdom stuff, I'm better with the people stuff."

Riza weighed the truth behind those words and grumbled something to herself when she no doubt realized her sister was right. "Still...I have plenty reason to be furious with him."

"Sure," the princess gave her. "But that doesn't change the fact that you two love each other and will no doubt make things much, much worse if you don't talk about it like mature adults."

The queen shifted from foot to foot, and her timid appearance seemed wholly misplaced on the otherwise strong and stoic woman. "Okay, fine...you might be...a  _little_  bit right about that...but at this point I have nothing else to do but get ready to negotiate with all of his and Ling's court members. That's why I have to get back to the library. I need to prepare all my sources and come ready to fight for what's rightfully our kingdom's."

"You're not going to even  _try_ and talk to Roy before then?"

Gathering up her bow and arrows, Riza turned to leave the range. "I don't see the point in that. I need to at least get this out of the way before I can focus on my personal problems."

Following dutifully after her, Winry spoke, "Speaking of, are we ever going to talk about Grumman?"

A sound of disgust ripped from Riza's throat. "That bastard is the last on my list of concerns right now."

Ah, so Winry wouldn't be telling her the full story just yet. As much as she tried to get her sister to deal with all of her issues, when Riza was like this...focused and determined...it was hard to get her to think about anything else.

"Alright, fine. But we  _will_ have to talk about it eventually," she reminded her as they walked away from the range.

"I know, just let me deal with my duties as a queen, then I can focus on my duties as a sister and a daughter. Or rather...as a  _granddaughter_ ," Riza spoke, her tone twisting at the reminder of their newfound relationship.

Winry sighed. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Riza shot her sister a glare at the sarcastic jab, but Winry was hardly affected. The princess observed the setting sun and turned toward the queen as they approached the castle proper. "Will you at least come to dinner tonight?"

Riza stopped at the sudden question and shot her sister a sheepish look. "I don't know if I'm ready to face him quite yet. Besides, I should be spending all my free time in the library working on my argument."

In a normal situation, Winry probably would have let her go with a shake of her head at her sister's dogged work ethic, but this time she knew what needed to be done.

"Nope, you're not going to do that."

Riza's eyes widened at her. "Excuse me?"

"If you skip dinner a second night in a row, people will start to ask questions. And then what happens if they get wind of what was said in the negotiation room? Half the people at dinner were probably there anyway. Do you really want everyone thinking you're so affected by this that you can't even stand to be in the same room as the king?"

It looked as though Riza had been ready for a rebuttal, but as soon as the words had left her sister's mouth, she stopped herself, no doubt realizing that Winry did, in fact, have a pretty damn good point. Her face scrunched up in annoyance and Winry smiled smugly.

"See? I can be right about things from time to time. Come on, let's go."

* * *

Roy's dagger slashed against the bark of the tree again and he regretted not bringing his sword with him. Slashes from his larger blade would feel far more satisfying than this flimsy thing. Though, if he was honest with himself, he'd know that nothing was going to numb the emotions he was currently feeling.

While it was rather juvenile to run away from his problems, that's exactly what the disgruntled king had done. Using a secret tunnel entrance he was sure only he knew about, he'd snuck out of the castle and past the outer walls of the capital city, needing the privacy of the open lands to truly find comfort.

It wasn't really working though, as he spun around and stabbed at one of the many trees available to him in the dense forest. Hiding his true feelings behind a mask and attempting to find some sort of outlet in the middle of nowhere wouldn't cover up the immense guilt and foolishness he currently felt.

God, he was an idiot. A downright, empty-headed  _fool_. He'd thought he could get away with what he'd done and had been reminded quite clearly, as the eyes he'd come to love so much had stared back at him ferocious and cold, that he was just full of himself.

The peace treaty terms were bad enough, but Grumman coming back to rear his ugly head had just fanned the flames of a fire he couldn't control. He never thought she'd find out about his promise with his old mentor, and he figured he could twist the peace treaty terms to at least seem  _reasonable_ , even if he would be the first to admit they were as bad as Riza had thought.

But he couldn't  _tell_ her yet. This deep, longing secret he had been holding to himself for months on end. He couldn't tell her, and it made everything far worse than it should have been.

He'd really thought about spilling it all the minute she'd looked at him like he had betrayed every bit of trust they'd built. When they were alone in the negotiation room, he'd almost let it slip.  _Almost_  had asked one of the biggest questions of his life, but he'd just managed to hold himself back. He knew bringing it up then and there would have just made things worse. This wasn't something he could ask her while she was angry and positively fed up with every part of the world, especially him. If he had asked her in the heat of the moment, she would have just been confused and angry, and it wouldn't have led to the result he so longed for.

He paused in his furious movements to let his hand reach deep into the pocket of his pants. He pulled out the small, yet beautiful piece of jewelry and sighed as he watched the light reflecting off the jewels.

He had so many plans. So many big, ambitious plans, but he was a fool if he thought he could get away with implementing them like this.

The ring in his hands felt like it weighed as much as an entire army, and he tried to hold back the vicious thoughts that told him he'd never get the chance to give it to his queen.

And that's exactly what he wanted from all of this. For her to be his  _queen_ , not just as the one he loved more than anything, but in the actual title as well.

He wanted to marry her, and make her the Queen of Amestris. Now, he wondered if he'd missed his chance.

He just couldn't figure out a way to make it seem like he was only preparing his kingdom for what would one day be theirs, without giving away everything. In his mind, Aerugo was already ruled by Lord Matthew anyway. Riza had been so absent for so much of her early rule that, in reality, her cousin had done a bulk of her work. It wasn't that she had been neglecting her duties, she had just been pulled in a different direction. Roy hoped she had been pulled toward him.

It didn't really matter if Aerugo only got twenty percent of their trade deal. He didn't really care what happened to their kingdom. Winry was only a short while away from becoming an Amestrian, and he'd hoped her sister wouldn't be long after her. Bringing Riza's kingdom into the trade deal hadn't been to help better Aerugo, it had been done to let her see the greatness they could achieve together in Amestris.

What Roy had foolishly overlooked, however, was Riza's apparently still fierce loyalty and pride for her kingdom and her people. He knew she'd always been proud to rule over Aerugo, he just figured things were beginning to change the more she seemed to fall in love with Amestris, and with him. The day he'd taken her to the cliffs by East Lake had lifted his spirits to the heavens. The way she had marveled at the sight before her and related that she finally felt comfortable among the Amestrian lands.

Like she finally felt  _at home_.

But Roy had miscalculated, severely, because there was still a home for her in Aerugo. His attempt to wow her by showing off how great Amestris would be alongside Xing had quite literally been a horrifically terrible mistake, and the king was wondering if that had cost him everything.

She lost a fraction of trust when she realized he'd known about her grandfather, and now she thought he was personally ensuring the ruin of her home kingdom.

And the worst part was he still couldn't explain  _why_.

He'd had a whole plan, to guarantee Amestris's success and, once the treaty was finalized, take Riza back out to the lake, explain all of his ambitions about ruling his kingdom with her by his side, and then propose.

Another slash against a nearby tree punctuated his thoughts, reminding him that all of that could be for nothing.

He sighed and tried to steady himself. No, he wouldn't give up that easily. There was too much love for Riza and too much excitement for the things they could do together to lose hope this soon. He wanted to be with her, in every sense of the word, and he would not let his own mistakes get in the way of that. He just had to find a way to explain it to her without revealing everything. Or perhaps he could give Aerugo a better portion of the treaty to placate her until the time was right, and then find a way to work it back to Amestris.

The king let out a groan at everything that needed to be done. Riza's promise to give him hell at the negotiation table when they reconvened was still rolling around in his head. He wasn't sure how he would form a rebuttal of his own, or if he even should lest she become angier with him. Bottom line, he couldn't live with her feeling like he'd betrayed her trust. He had to fix that, first and foremost.

Without even realizing it, as Roy plotted and pondered over what the hell he was supposed to do now, the sun had descended in the sky, and the moon was the only thing illuminating the suddenly eerie forest. It wasn't as bad as the clearing with the pond, but there was still something deep and dark and encroaching about the foliage surrounding him. Like a weight being dropped into a pool, a feeling of uncertainty and worry fell into his stomach, and he realized with startling clarity that a ruler of a kingdom alone outside the walls of his city was an extremely dangerous position to be in.

He clutched his dagger to himself and stuffed the engagement ring back into his pocket, where it had been resting since he'd commissioned it the day he got back from Aerugo. It took some time, but he managed to find his way back to the road that led to the city and he walked down it quickly, his eyes darting around every so often. He cursed himself over and over again for not bringing his horse.

The moon shone bright above him and he inwardly groaned when he realized how much time he'd let slip by. Everyone would be gathered for dinner, waiting for him to show up and let them eat, as per the usual tradition. He hadn't realized how far he had wandered from the city, and just knew that they would all be worried about him.

A tiny part of him wondered if Riza would even care.

He shook that thought away almost immediately and continued his journey back. He had just caught a glimpse of the outer wall when he heard a rustling sound coming from beside him.

He was immediately poised and ready to fight, feeling slightly foolish with just a dagger to defend himself, but knowing he was skilled enough to get away from whatever danger was approaching.

It was silent for far too long, and Roy began to think he'd imagined all of it, before there was more rustling and at least six or seven full grown men stepped out and surrounded him. His heart plummeted into his stomach as he noticed the ragged clothing they all wore and the sadistic smiles flashing across their faces. Almost all of them carried a knife or sword of some sort, as well.

He really was a damn fool.

"Well, lookie here, boys. Some nobleman walking all by himself late at night," one sneered with a sickening laugh.

Another answered in a similar manner. "Would be such a shame if he were to run into a band of robbers, now wouldn't it?"

A chuckle resonated throughout the group and Roy tried to remain calm and cooperative. "I don't have any money on me. And if you kill me now, you will be inviting a hell unlike anything you've ever seen to rain down on all of your heads," he tried to warn them, his words truthful enough. He couldn't help but think of how uneventful of an ending getting mugged and killed by robbers would be for a king. That would certainly look quite stupid on his shrine stone.

Not unexpectedly, his warning did little to quell the lust for his trinkets the robbers had. "That's what they all say. Besides, those clothes of yours alone could help us eat like kings for weeks."

Another round of sickening laughter rang out and Roy's hand gripped his dagger a touch harder.

"Plus we're used to people having it out for us. Sorry, but your threat doesn't really do much to scare us."

"Why are we talking so much? Let's just jump him and be done with it."

"Easy there, he's got a weapon too."

"And I know how to use it," Roy bit out, attempting to look at all the men at once, even though they had him surrounded.

Another smirked at his words. "One little dagger isn't much. It's seven against one. I'm a betting man, so I can guarantee you those ain't good odds."

Roy gripped the dagger even harder, and prepared himself. "Well, let's test that theory of yours then," he said before he charged. Almost immediately the robbers descended, but they had underestimated their opponent. Sure, they weren't very good odds, but he'd had years of practice fighting. If he played this with a bit of smarts, he could at least get away unharmed.

He ducked and swiveled as they all tried to take swings at him, but he blocked them all with his sheer agility. He took a few swipes with his dagger and managed to at least wound one or two of them, but they kept coming. He punched, slashed, and ducked, but he could tell this wouldn't be easy. With a grunt, he sunk his dagger in the side of one of them and only just managed to avoid the sword coming for his back. The robber he'd stabbed let out a yell and fell back, enraging the rest of them instantly.

Roy had a fleeting thought as he fought that if any of these men were successful in either killing or incapacitating him, it wouldn't be long before they found the pricey ring in his pocket, and, for whatever reason, that idea alone had him growling in rage and fighting back with every bit of strength he had left.

He realized with a dash of hope as he yanked the dagger out of the one man and sank it into another, that he might actually have a chance. This particular band, though strong in number, were not as well trained as the king they didn't realize they were fighting. All Roy had to do was dodge and maybe disarm one or two and he'd have this in the bag.

However, just as he was gaining confidence, one of the robbers came from the other side, the one he wasn't watching, and the king just managed to move out of the way enough to escape with only a gash across his side. The blood spurted on the ground and he let out a shout of pain. Not too deep, but it still hurt like hell. He gritted his teeth and held his side, angered enough into ending this quickly.

Once the robbers got a look at the fury behind his obsidian eyes, they began to second guess themselves. The king came at them with all the tricks in his book and managed to immobilize two more. Realizing that this would not be as easy as they had envisioned, the remaining men made to leave, but so overcome with anger at having been attacked, Roy wasn't going to let them run off quietly. With a precision only bested by a certain Aerugonian queen, Roy aimed the dagger he held directly at one of the retreating robber's back and threw it with all his might. He hit his mark almost perfectly and the last two men let out screeches of terror as their fellow group member dropped before they ran without looking back. Knowing it was pointless to chase after them, and feeling the blood seep through the wound on his side, the king made his way quickly back to the outer walls, knowing he was in for one hell of an earful from just about everyone the minute he returned to the castle.

* * *

The silence pressed on agonizingly slow, as the court members and royals gathered all looked at one another, unsure of what to do. They had been waiting at the dinner table for what seemed like an eternity, expecting the king to show up any minute and let them eat, but as the minutes ticked by, he never showed up.

Letting out yet another exasperated grunt, Ed slammed his fist down on the table. "This is ridiculous!" he finally let out. "The food's probably cold by now. Let's just accept that King Bastard isn't coming and fill our empty stomachs."

Almost immediately his fiance shot him an aggravated glare. "That's not how this works, Ed. You know as well as I do that the king needs to either be present, or give his approval before we can start the meal."

"But our meal should've started hours ago. Where the hell is he? And for that matter, where is Breda? It's been a long ass time since we even sent him off to go track the bastard down."

"You treat your ruler with a surprising amount of disdain," Lan Fan's quietly calculated voice rang out from where she sat to the right of Emperor Ling.

Ed scoffed at that. "Yeah, well, I think I'm justified, all things considered. We're all starving to death because of him."

This time it was his brother who spoke up. "We're not going to starve, Ed. I think the real question here is where the king has gone...they should have found him by now. The castle's big, but it's not  _that_  big," was Alphonse's worried rebuttal. He finally spoke into existence what most of them (save perhaps Ed) were all thinking. The king should have come to the dining room  _hours_ ago. They had sent off Sir Breda and a few other court members to go look for him, but that had been a good deal of time ago as well. Something wasn't right.

Riza tried to calm her raging heart and remain perfectly unphased as she sat listening to the court members and guests discuss what was going on. Everyone certainly had their own opinion, but the queen suspected none of them could be agonizing over it as much as she was.

Where the hell  _was_ Roy? This was different from the time he'd taken her out and they'd gotten back late. People had known where they were, and even that had only been maybe an hour past the usual start time. This was getting more worrisome the longer they sat and waited. Lord Falman had talked with the head guards at the castle gates, and had come back not long ago to say that he hadn't gone past them at any point that day, so unless there was some secret way out, he had to be in the castle somewhere.

So why hadn't they found him? All the usual spots had apparently turned up empty, and after recruiting the help of some servants, they had nearly combed every square inch of the place and found nothing.

Riza couldn't tell if she was more scared or angry  _because_  she was scared. It was bad enough she had been fretting over just seeing him again at dinner, and when he didn't show up at first she thought maybe he had done what she had the night before and skipped it.

But if he had done that, he would have told someone, since the old fashioned rule still existed that they couldn't begin until he'd given the okay. All of this and more filled Riza with a dread she couldn't describe, especially when she remembered the last thing she'd said to him.

Before she could dwell any further on her dreadful thoughts, Sir Breda burst through the door of the king's dining room, looking thoroughly winded. Everyone turned to him expectantly, before they all promptly widened their eyes at the defeated look on his face.

Havoc stood to his feet. "Anything?"

Breda grimaced and shook his head. "No. We've looked everywhere he could possibly be in the castle and on the grounds."

Havoc's face turned serious. "Do you think we should start sending squads out into the villages?"

"I think it might be time to," Breda answered grimly.

"W-wait!" Ed exclaimed, the seriousness of the situation finally starting to dawn on him. "I thought you said no one saw him leave through the gates."

Havoc and Breda immediately shared a look before the First Knight turned toward Ed. "We're not supposed to say, but there are other ways to get in and out of the castle besides the front gate. Not many people know about it, but the king certainly does."

"None of this sounds particularly promising," Emperor Ling spoke with a discouraged look.

"Yeah, especially not after what the gate guards told me."

"What?" Havoc immediately asked.

"Apparently there's been reports of robbers hiding out on the Eastern Road, the one that leads directly in and out of the city. Multiple nobleman parties have been attacked or killed within the last few weeks."

The silence that enveloped them as everyone processed that bit of information was not even close to comforting.

Before anyone could lament the way this had all turned out, Havoc walked over toward Breda. "Send out the top five squads and scan all edges of the city. We should take the top knights and go down the Eastern Road. Alphonse, Edward, you two go with me," he directed, his commanding voice masking his overwhelming worry. The Elric brothers didn't waste a second to hop out of their seats and follow their leader out the doors. Sir Breda directed Rebecca to take everyone else to a sitting room that would act as a temporary command center while they all waited for news. The shock everyone was feeling was nearly palpable, but they tried to do what they were told as best they could.

Riza couldn't feel anything besides numbness, though. Her sister had turned toward her with concerned eyes, no doubt wondering how she was handling all of this as they all got up and went to the sitting room Rebecca led them to. The queen couldn't even begin to describe her current emotions to her sister.

 _He's such a bastard_ , she thought to herself.  _He makes me furious with him, questions my trust of him, and then makes me think he's lying on the road somewhere, dead after being attacked by robbers. I hate him, I hate what he does to me._

She followed the rest of the group with mindless movements as Winry linked her arm with her own to try and provide some sort of physical anchor. Her sister could no doubt see the amount of fear and uncertainty she was struggling with, but could only imagine what she must be going through.

As they all waited together, some choosing to pace, other sitting silently by themselves, Rebecca walked up to where Riza stood as still as a statue, not a trace of the raging emotion she was feeling appearing on her face.

"He's probably fine," Rebecca spoke, attempting to sound reassuring even though anyone could tell she was just as scared. "He probably just went off by himself and lost track of time. I'm sure Jean will come back with him in no time," the other woman spoke as she reassuringly rubbed Riza's arm. Her words of encouragement fell on flat ears, though, as Riza agonized over her and Roy's argument from earlier that day, but in a vastly different manner than how she had previously been. If something really had happened, she had let her last words to him be filled with hate. Suddenly their arguments seemed pointless, because the mere thought of Roy not being in her life anymore scared her more than anything else had in her entire life.

* * *

Trying to ignore his own ominous feelings, Jean Havoc attempted to get to work, rallying the soldiers into their respective search party groups and trying to get across the severity of the king's disappearance. He didn't even want to think about acting rulers and royal funerals just yet. He had a job to do first. His mission to always protect and serve the king would be the only thing getting him through that night.

He had watched as Sir Breda had taken the Elric brothers and a few other high-ranking knights out into the village fare to search directly on the road, not sure what they would find. He was staying back to direct the teams who would comb through the villages themselves.

He was about to mount his horse and lead everyone out when another pair of horses came through the opened gates. Havoc hadn't been expecting anyone to be coming back, so when he caught a glimpse of who was riding toward him, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"Your Majesty!" he exclaimed in shock, as he pushed through the uproar of people and ran to where his king was gingerly getting off what looked to be a guard's horse. Another man who Havoc recognized as one of the heads of the outer wall squad was riding the other horse and immediately began speaking to the First Knight.

"He's injured! You need to send off for a doctor right away."

Roy grunted as his feet hit the ground and he began limping toward the castle entrance, a bloodied hand held to his side. Havoc quickly yelled for someone to go fetch the doctor and to get supplies ready as Roy cursed and pushed past everyone. "I'm fine," he spoke through gritted teeth. "It's just a scratch. Marcoh has to stitch it up and I'll be alright."

"What the hell happened?" Havoc asked pleadingly as he followed after the king, his hands itching to help the other man walk down the corridors, despite the fact that the king would most likely push him away.

"I snuck out to be alone. After what happened at the treaty talks today, I needed some time away from everything to think," the king's voice was strained as they began walking toward the royal family's wing, a flurry of activity following after them. "I made the mistake of going too far and not giving myself any time to get back before it got dark. A band of robbers was waiting almost as soon as I found the road leading into the city. The fact that I got away as unscathed as I did is a miracle."

Havoc's face twisted as he thought about it. "Yeah, Breda said there had been reports of some attacks. How many of them were there?"

"Seven, I think. All I had was a small dagger, so I had to improvise to get away. I wouldn't even have this wound in my side if I had thought to check behind me."

Havoc shook his head disbelievingly. He couldn't figure out why the king was being so calm, all things considered. "What do you want me to do?" he eventually asked the closer they got to Roy's private bedchambers, intending to wait for Marcoh to meet them there.

"Tell everyone I'm fine. I take it from all the soldiers gathered in the castle grounds that I caused you all to worry. I don't want this to become a bigger deal than it already has," Roy spoke in a low voice as they finally reached his chambers and he stumbled through the sitting room and into the bedroom. He delicately sat down on his bed, and worked slowly to get his tunic off so he could have a better look at the gash. Havoc winced when he saw it, the blood that was allowed to trickle out by now making it look far worse than it probably was. Again the king cursed at the sight before he turned seriously back to Havoc.

"Only let Marcoh and whatever servants he needs in here until I say so. I'll address everyone's concerns on my own."

"Got it," Havoc said, as he made to turn around and begin carrying out his king's wishes before Roy's voice stopped him.

"But I do want you to get Riza. She's the only one I want to see right now. Understood?"

Havoc wasn't even going to think about the implications of that particular command at the moment, so he merely nodded his head, bowed, and was out the door without another word.

* * *

The king's First Knight took a steadying breath as he entered the room where he knew everyone had gone, knowing this would be an interesting conversation, but still understanding its importance.

Almost as soon as he was through the doorway, a chorus of voices was shouting at him for news.

"Jean! You're back already? What happened?"

"Is His Majesty alright?"

"What's going on?"

The only person's eyes he met were the queen's, and his heart tugged at the fear he could sense practically rolling off of her. Walking up to her respectfully, he spoke in a serious voice. "The king has been found."

"And?" came the queen's reply, her voice smaller than he'd ever heard it.

"And he's alright," he spoke, listening as everyone let out a breath of relief. "But he was injured."

If possible, the queen tensed even further at that news. He had been expecting her to ask more about how badly he was injured, but was surprised when she instead asked where he was.

"U-uh," he began, slightly taken aback. "In his bedchambers. Marcoh is treating him there, but don't worry, it's just a-"

Havoc hadn't even finished his statement before Riza was pushing past him and running out the door, no doubt dashing toward the royal family's wing. The First Knight almost shook his head at her. He had been there when the queen had first gotten a glimpse of the treaty terms, had seen the tension building between her and the king, but clearly even that wasn't enough to stop the both of them from being together, as the thought of being seperated was apparently too much to bear.

* * *

Riza's feet couldn't take her down the familiar path to Roy's bedchambers fast enough, as the relief at being found alive mixed with the worry over his injury. She still couldn't decide whether she was more furious at him for doing this to her or desperate just to see that he was okay.

She dashed through the familiar corridors and up to the double doors of the king's suite. Meeting no resistance, she burst through them and ran up to the ones leading into his actual bedroom. She only managed to slow herself down long enough to take one deep breath before she pushed the door open and stepped through, her eyes immediately finding those of her king.

She had to repress a gasp at the sight of him, lying back on his bed while Marcoh worked at what looked to be a nasty gash on his side. She stood frozen at the entrance as both the doctor and the king looked up at her, before one of them returned to the task at hand.

Roy's eyes widened slightly as they locked on hers, and they both shared a wordless conversation for a split second.

"I'm almost finished, Your Majesty," Marcoh spoke in a calm voice, bringing the both of them out of their thoughts. It took Riza a minute to realize he was addressing  _her_. "The wound is fairly superficial, so I don't expect he'll experience many problems from it. It looks worse than it really is."

Attempting to ground herself, the queen nodded her head and spoke in a shaky voice, "I-I see. Thank you."

Roy's eyes remained on her even as she stood still in the doorway, simply observing the way Marcoh stitched his skin back together, the blood covering his hands making her sick to her stomach. She'd seen her fair share of bleeding men in her life, but this time felt far more upsetting.

The silence was oppressive, but it went unaddressed. A fleeting thought appeared in the queen's mind that no one else had come to worriedly check up on the king. Or, perhaps they had, and he'd only been interested in seeing  _her_.

A wishful thought, if she'd ever had one.

Once Marcoh had cleaned and stiched it all together, he dressed and wrapped the wound, before gathering his supplies and standing to his feet, flashing only Riza a smile. "That should do it. I'll have some of the girls that work under me come and change it every so often over the next few days, but it should heal on its own just fine. Coming to treat you royals in the middle of the night really never gets old," he spoke with a shockingly teasing tone before he gave the queen one last smile and was out the door, decisively closing it behind him. Riza again wondered if that was just coincidence, or he had been instructed to do so.

Her eyes inevitably wandered back to Roy and she found that his were still locked on her nearly shaking form. She couldn't even begin to form words as the emotions overtaking her were enormously oppressive. She was still caught in a battle between love and hate as she watched him gingerly sit up on the bed, his bare torso wrapped in bandages. His expression was unreadable, and she cursed him for it. Did he have no regrets at all? He nearly scared them all to death and yet now appears to be perfectly content with the situation. Her anger started to win out as she felt the tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

"Well," he finally spoke after a lengthy silence. "Say everything you want to say. And don't hold back."

Surprisingly enough, it was the calm way he was handling all of this that finally sent Riza over the edge. Her fists clenched at her sides and she practically shook against the effort it took not to storm over to him and slap him clear across the face.

"What were you  _thinking_?" she finally let out, her tone strained.

He offered no response, so she continued. "You  _insufferable_ man, are you that incapable of thinking of anyone but yourself! Did you not give a single second of thought to the group of people who have been waiting for hours, wondering where you went and certain the search parties would find you  _dead_! Half of them are probably still out there, worried senseless that Amestris has lost its king. And for what?!" Her voice rose in volume the longer she berated him, but he stayed silent against the onslaught.

Still, there was something about the way he sat completely immovable that sparked a flame of curiosity deep within the queen. His eyes were darkened far more than usual, and they were fixated solely on her angry form. He knew she would just come here and yell at him, and yet it seemed as though he had specifically arranged for her to do it. What was happening? What was he after? Where had he even gone? What had even happened?

The queen was so angry she couldn't contain herself, yet so overcome with love for this ridiculous man before her that she had worried herself into a frenzy over the last few hours thinking he was dead. She couldn't figure it out. She couldn't figure  _herself_  out. Only a few hours prior, she had related to Winry on the range how infuriated she was that she could hardly bear to see his face, and yet she had nearly sprinted to his bedchambers to make sure he was alright.

He was so frustrating, yet so all-consuming. Her thoughts never strayed far from him, whether they were thoughts of hate or love. And as she stood screaming at him, she couldn't quell the desires she felt looking upon his shirtless and bloodied form, and feeling like a melted puddle of goo under the heat of his darkened stare. Still, she had to maintain her ground. She was frightfully angry with him, and positively beside herself with the worry she had felt.

Riza felt the biting sting of the tears threatening to spill over, but she fought to hold them back. She couldn't cry in front of him. Not here. Not now. Not when she's so incredibly angry with him and certainly not when his eyes are filling with heady desire so palpable she can almost taste it.

"Honestly, I can't believe you!" she continued, her voice cracking with emotion despite her best efforts to stay calm. "You're so infuriating. You forget that people count on you. That people worry about you. I can't even be angry about you keeping secrets from me because I'm too busy being scared out of my mind that you went and got yourself killed!"

Roy's jaw clenched, but he remained silent.

"I honestly believed that the last thing I had said to you were words of hate. When Breda came and told us that he couldn't find you and what might have happened, I really thought I'd lost you forever. How dare you make me feel like that!"

Too wrapped up in her own feelings, she didn't even register as he finally stood to his feet, not giving a care to the wound at his side.

"And what makes me angrier than anything else is that…even though I'm well justified in my feelings given what you've done, I still….I still," she trailed off as her eyes finally rose to meet his, drinking in the way they raked over her heaving form. She was breathlessly panting, both from the effort of her shouting and the strength needed to keep the most vulnerable of her emotions at bay.

When their eyes met, Roy took a calm step forward, wrapping one arm securely around her waist, leaning down so that their faces were mere inches apart.

She hated him for this. Hated the power he had over. Hated the way he could make her feel angrier and more afraid than she'd ever been. As unresolved as things were between them, she still couldn't help the most frustrating thing about him.

"I still…need you," she whispered before his lips met hers with a strength and fire she had never before experienced.

Damn this man. Damn this beautiful, infuriating, determined, strong-willed man.

She wondered fleetingly, as he demandingly ran his tongue along her bottom lip until she gasped and he nearly devoured her whole, whether or not this had been his plan all along. Whether or not whatever had happened had scared  _him_  too, so much so that he couldn't stop himself from showing her in actions everything he couldn't say with words.

She felt her back slamming into the closed door of his bedroom and clutched at his upper arms for balance. His tongue was still tasting every part of her gaping mouth with a feverish pace, and her legs nearly buckled from the sensations.

Finally breaking free for some much needed air, Roy didn't waste a second before his mouth was descending on the skin of her neck, placing open-mouthed kisses along the length of it. As she clutched him desperately and threw her head back against the door, she nearly screeched as he bit down ever so slightly, before his tongue lapped at the nip almost apologetically. He continued this pattern for longer than she even knew, before he kissed his way back up to her swollen lips and captured them once more.

Riza wasn't even sure if it was the festering anger that had evolved into something  _far_ more carnal, or just the thought that she could have lost him so easily that was fueling her desire, but she didn't have the brain power left to sort it out. Certainly not while Roy's hand was grabbing a handful of her simple dress, bunching it up in his hands so he could feel the bare skin of her thigh while his mouth still did knee-buckling things to her own. When his fingers found what they were searching for, dug up underneath the dress that suddenly felt like nothing more than a nuisance, she again ripped their mouths apart and heaved a few unsteady breaths, her eyes focusing in and out at the overwhelming heat of it all. Even though the sun had descended, it felt like Roy's bedroom had become an inferno. Her clothes almost burned against her skin and she had to resist the temptation to make quick work of them right then and there.

Suddenly, as Roy's calloused fingertips fiddled with the fabric covering the most sensitive part of herself, their eyes met. If possible, his gaze had darkened even further, and she wondered if he was seeing the same thing reflected in her own. Her hands went to clasp around his neck as his fingers explored even further, fiddling with the thin fabric, as if testing how far she'd let him go.

But Riza realized, as he suddenly leaned down, hooked both of his hands behind her knees and lifted her up to quickly deposit her on his bed, that she was incapable of stopping him. She didn't  _want_ him to stop. She had held herself back from him every step of the way down their long winding journey of a relationship that she had lost the will to resist the way he had wiggled into her heart. Even when she was mad at him, even when she questioned his intentions, she still felt herself drawn to him, like there was a string connecting their hearts.

Clearly fighting through the pain of the wound at his side, he crawled over her heaving form and captured her lips yet again. She felt him yank the ends of her dress up further and further before he suddenly stopped, leaned back so that their gazes met, and spoke in a breathless voice, "I love you...my queen...do you still love me?"

Belatedly Riza realized that he was asking for her permission, his bandaged chest heaving almost as much as hers while his fingers stilled on the skin of her upper thighs. She realized, as she looked deep into his dark gaze, that he was really unsure of the answer, even though it was obvious to her, and perhaps this lapse in their usual control was his way of asking, of making  _sure._

Despite the desire overtaking her body, she smiled up at him and softly rubbed a hand against his rough cheek.

"Do you even have to ask?"


	11. Chapter 11

The rain pelting against the glass was the first thing Riza registered in her dazed state. She let out a small groan as the need to move her tired and sore body arose and she twisted among the silk sheets. She felt the soft fabric glide against her bare skin as the memories of the previous night came flooding back in quick succession. 

Stretching a bit to iron out some of the kinks in her tried limbs, she opened up one eye and peeked up at who she was currently using as a pillow. Roy’s messy mop of hair was the first thing she saw, as her eyes blinked in and out, focusing on the scenery of his bedroom. He still appeared to be fast asleep, his deep breaths rising the queen’s exhausted form ever so slightly from where she lay, splayed out across his bare chest. She briefly glanced down to notice that their legs were intertwined, only a thin sheet covering their lower halves. Riza let one of her hands briefly ghost across the bandages encircling his midsection, smirking to herself when she thought about how sore he would be once he awoke. It was obvious he had been pushing through a good deal of pain to give himself fully to her--in absolutely  _ every _ sense--and would no doubt feel the effects as soon as he was up. 

The queen let her head fall back against his chest and she hummed contentedly. Gods, she could get used to waking up next to him. While this was certainly not the first time they had shared a bed, it was quite unlike the previous times. Their naked bodies were evidence enough of that fact. More importantly though, Riza felt completely and utterly  _ satiated _ . She had never awoken quite this at ease and happy. The rain lulled her into a near meditative state as she replayed their foray from the night before. 

The only thing that had been fueling the both of them had been their shared pent-up desire. They had ghosted around their obvious tension for almost as long as they’d known each other, and last night it had boiled over in the most  _ enjoyable _ way. He had been ferocious...near animalistic. She doubted she’d been any better. 

They had needed this...badly, she eventually decided with a happy sigh. Their shared jobs were far too stressful and put far too much strain on their emotions for them to not relieve some of the pressure the way they had done. Now that they both knew they were the only ones for each other, it was like a dam had broken, releasing all their inhibitions. She remembered the way he’d kissed her, like he was afraid she’d evaporate without a trace if he wasn’t nibbling on her lips or tasting the flavor on her tongue. She had reciprocated, kissing her way down his bandaged chest, a harsh reminder of what could have been. Their bodies had rocked together, skin covered with sweat and mouths open as they tried to merely breathe in the suffocating heat of his bedroom. It was euphoric, blissfully perfect in every possible way. 

And Riza knew, all too well, that it was merely covering up the many issues their relationship brought. 

Nothing had been...definitively resolved, she had realized. Sure, they had addressed the roiling sexual tension that seemed to follow them around wherever they went, but the entire argument that had brought their anger to a decisive peak had not been solved in the slightest. Letting some of the unfortunately encroaching thoughts make themselves known, Riza frowned slightly and remembered the brief conversation they’d had after their first round. 

_ Both king and queen breathed in and out heavily, attempting to gain a fraction of air back in their lungs. Their hearts were racing as Riza collapsed to the side of her lover, not giving a care to even cover herself. No point in doing that anyway, Roy had now seen every part of her.  _

_ The minutes ticked by, the only sounds being their labored breaths. Riza placed a hand on her forehead, attempting to regain a bit of coherency. Her mind felt foggy and her body felt delightfully used. She certainly had not been expecting any of that to happen when she’d desperately run to his room to check on him, but she should have gotten an inkling of what Roy  _ clearly _ had already had in mind. The way his eyes had fallen on her as soon as she’d burst through the door should have been her first indication. There was a promise of everything that was going to come, even though he  _ knew  _ she was still angry with him.  _

Goddamn him _ , she thought, not for the first time.  _

_ As the silence stretched and their breathing fell back to a more regular pace, Riza continued letting the thoughts swim around in her mind, until eventually Roy spoke.  _

_ “Riza,” he began, his voice strangely strained and unsure, as if his wild confidence during their coupling hadn’t even existed. “I...I’m sorry,” was all he said, and the queen widened her eyes.  _

_ She didn’t say anything in response, so Roy took that as his cue to elaborate. “I’m sorry for worrying you, I’m sorry for what I said about your kingdom. I’m sorry for...everything. It was never my place to get involved and it was never my place to make the assumptions that I did. I don’t want this to come between us. We can negotiate the treaty...we can figure out something that works for both of us.”  _

_ The guilt that was practically enveloping his every word almost made Riza laugh aloud. It was absurd, the severity and importance of what he was saying to her, as they both laid out panting on his bed, naked as the day they were born. She knew nothing would come of her making fun of him so she used whatever strength she had left to turn her figure toward him. He was still spewing apologies, so she simply put a decisive finger to his lips, silencing him immediately.  _

_ “Roy...this is not a conversation I’d like to have in bed. I already know that you’re sorry. I am too, and in the morning maybe we can talk more about...all of that. But right now...right now I need you to apologize in a very  _ different  _ way.”  _

_ The meaningful and desperate look she shot him was enough to silence any further protests. Without another word, he reached up and captured her lips once more, flipping her onto her back again. His lips drifted to the spot on her neck she was starting to realize was his favorite as her hands gripped his toned arms desperately, more than ready to continue whatever it was that they were doing.  _

_ After that, no more coherent words were said the rest of the night.  _

Riza almost groaned fitfully at the thought of it. No, she didn’t want to stop their little escapade to address their many,  _ many _ issues as she was far too content in just  _ being  _ with him to do it now, or even at all. She was smart enough to know not dealing with the treaty and her secret grandfather and all the anger they had held toward each other wouldn’t go well, but after the night they’d had, she honestly would’ve rather washed it all away without another trace. 

Abruptly bringing her out of her moody thoughts, she felt the hand that had been limply resting against her back move ever so slightly before it began gently rubbing circles across her skin, eliciting a contented noise from her. She shifted in his arms to look back up at him again with a soft smile, and found him sleepily staring down at her, looking as satisfied as she felt. 

“Good morning,” he spoke groggily, his hand not stopping his ministrations along her back. 

Her smile widened. “Good morning. It’s about time you woke up,” she teased, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on his chest. He hummed happily at the gesture. 

“How long have you been awake?” he asked. 

“Not too long,” she answered with a small shrug of her shoulders. “How do you feel?” 

Roy let out a small smirk. “Like I just woke up from the best sleep of my life. So...pretty damn amazing.” 

“Yeah?” Riza questioned with a smile, already knowing he was about to eat his words. 

“Yeah,” he affirmed. “I have you to thank for that.” 

The queen couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as she spoke, “You won’t be thanking me as soon as you move.” 

His face twisted in confusion at that particular comment, but Riza merely shot him a ‘try me’ look before Roy attempted to sit up. He immediately winced rather loudly and flopped back down on the bed, his eyes drifting down to his bandaged side, as if he was just now remembering he was injured. 

“It seems you overworked yourself last night,” Riza told him, gliding her hand across his chest in an attempt to make him feel better. She didn’t even know how well it was working. 

Roy heaved a dramatic sigh. “Seems so. Though I still say it was damn well worth it.” 

Again, the queen laughed before she moved in his arms so she could lean up and press a small peck to his lips. Hugging her further into his side, Roy kissed her back, deepening it ever so slightly, their lips lazily moving against each other in their morning-after haze. 

“So,” the queen began after one last peck. “How long before someone bursts in here and interrupts us?” 

Roy’s face twisted again as the memory of the last two times they had woken up in bed together came rushing back. “Don’t jinx it,” he teased as he leaned down once more to brush his lips across hers. 

Riza sat up slightly, propping herself up on her side so she could lean down instead of up, as they teased and glided and tested the flavor of each other’s lips. One of Roy’s hands reached up to brush a bit of hair behind her ears before it cupped her cheek and deepened their motions. Riza let out a content moan that only went as far as the back of Roy’s throat as their pace began to quicken the more of each other they tasted. The queen was beginning to think they were about to have a repeat of the night before, even in Roy’s overly worked, injured state, when the sound of a hasty knock on the bedroom door sounded over the rain pelting against the glass. 

They immediately pulled apart breathlessly and Roy gave an annoyed huff. “I told you not to jinx it,” he whispered and Riza only just managed to muffle the giggle that erupted at that. With another wince, Roy sat up just enough to prop himself more properly on his pillows while Riza leaned back into his side, her lips finding the side of his neck teasingly while Roy answered whoever was at the door. 

“Yes, what is it?” he called, his voice delightfully strained as the queen had no intention of stopping what she was doing, her tongue darting out to taste the salty skin of his neck. 

An unfamiliar and timid voice answered him. “U-uh, Your Majesty! I’m one of Marcoh’s assistants. He sent me to come change your wound dressings.” 

At these words, Riza stopped abruptly and turned questioningly toward the door before she caught Roy’s eye and lifted an eyebrow. 

Roy pondered her unspoken question for a small moment before he cleared his throat and spoke more directly to the girl on the other side. “Just leave your supplies outside the door. I’ll do it myself.” 

The poor, clearly frightened assistant seemed to startle at the king’s command. “A-are you sure, Your Majesty?” 

Not interested in continuing this conversation (especially since Riza had resumed her work on his neck), Roy bit out, “Yes, quite sure. Just leave the supplies and get back to work.” 

The king and queen both could practically picture the way the girl no doubt immediately stood to attention at having been called out for questioning her ruler. “Y-yes, Your Majesty! My sincerest apologies.” 

They each heard the distinctive sound of a heavy basket being placed on the ground before the girl’s footsteps retreated and the doors to the main room opened and closed. 

Riza let out a laugh at the absurdity of it all, before she sat up completely, letting the sheet that had been covering her chest fall listlessly to the bed. She nearly laughed again at the way Roy’s eyes widened and blatantly fixated on her newly revealed skin, but settled for rolling her eyes and twisting out of his hold, much to his chagrin. “You’ll change the dressings yourself? I’d like to see you try.” 

Still thoroughly entranced by her naked form, Roy only just managed to find the brain power to reply, “What? Would you have rather me let that girl in?” 

The queen sighed and shook her head at him before she squashed down the last bits of propriety that were telling her she should cover up and walked over to one of the king’s dressers. “You’re lucky I know a thing or two about battle wounds.” She casually opened the door, and took her dear, sweet time perusing his clothes to find something to temporarily wear, knowing Roy was unabashedly staring at her backside. She wasn’t usually one to indulge such blatant objectification, but she figured she’d make an exception in this case. 

Not able to wipe the satisfied smirk from her face, she finally found an old, plain tunic and lifted it over her head. Given their size difference, the fabric acted like a mini dress, covering her entire upper half all the way to her mid-thighs. When she turned around, she found Roy staring at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. It seemed he couldn’t decide between wanting her to be completely without cover again and liking the sight of her wearing his clothes just a touch too much. She scoffed at his lack of discretion and walked confidently to his bedroom door. Stepping out into the first room, she saw that it was as empty as she remembered it being, with the exception of a basket full of medical supplies left at the foot of the door. She picked it up, closed the bedroom door again (this time making a point to lock it, just in case) and walked back over to where Roy had propped himself even more up by his pillows. 

He eyed her strangely as she hopped back on the bed and began arranging the supplies. “You’re sure you know what you’re doing?” he skeptically asked as she took out a knife to delicately cut the old bandage away. 

“Remember when I said that my father trained Winry and I in all the warrior-specific trades?” she casually replied, her eyes not straying from her work as she pulled the last bit of the old bandage aside and almost winced herself at the sight of the wound. It looked to be relatively superficial, but still large and no doubt painful. How Roy had managed to be with her multiple times last night without showing any indication of the pain from his wound was a mystery to her. 

“Yeah,” Roy replied uneasily as Riza dipped a small cloth in the liquid from a random bottle before placing it rather quickly on the first part of the gash. The king immediately tensed and hissed through his teeth at the stinging sensation, shooting her a glare at the lack of warning. 

She merely smirked and continued cleaning the wound as she spoke, “Well, our father considered basic wound repair and cleaning as part of that list. He always made it a point to remind us, myself especially, that part of being a good ruler was always looking out for your men, even in simple ways like this. It’s never really come in handy until now.” 

Roy mulled over her words, gripping the sheets tightly as she finished off the painful part of the redressing process. She placed a few ointments and herbs to help it heal before she began rebandaging. He stayed silent as he watched her work and suddenly the overall mood between them shifted. Riza was reminded harshly, once more, that she had almost lost him. Finally, she asked him what she should have asked last night. 

“How did this even happen?” 

Roy took a deep, resigned breath, before he went into the story of the gang of robbers, getting lost within the forest and losing track of time, before getting ambushed and having to fight his way out just so he wouldn’t be mugged or worse. Riza let him talk, keeping silent as she thought about what had happened. As he finished, Riza began placing all the medical supplies back in the basket, and the silence descended as she went to place it off to the side. 

Finally, Roy spoke the question that was on both of their minds. “So, are we going to talk now?” 

Riza sighed, crossed her arms, and turned back around to look at where he sat up on the bed. “I still don’t think a lot of this needs to be said in a place like this.” 

Roy immediately knew what she was referring to. “I know, and we can save it for the negotiation table where it belongs, but if you think how we feel about each other doesn’t cloud over at least part of that, then you’re being ignorant.” 

Casually, Riza walked over to one of the posters of the bed and leaned against it, still keeping eye contact with the king. “I do know that, but I wasn’t lying when I said our personal problems weren’t getting in the way of how I felt about the treaty terms. They were garbage, and you know it.” 

Roy sighed once more, closing his eyes as he seemingly tried to grapple for the right words to say. Gods knew they were not poised to get into another argument. They had done far too much of that lately. “You’re right. They  _ were _ garbage. And I fully plan to listen and accommodate you when we reconvene tomorrow. But that’s not all we’re talking about right now.” 

Riza let go of the ornately carved wood of the poster and walked calmly around the side of the bed. She knew he was referring to her feelings on Lord Grumman and his promise to him, but if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t quite sure what she thought in regards to all of that. She was angry, of course, but she was also mature and smart enough to realize the older man had put Roy in a difficult position. The fact that he had told Winry of Roy’s promise made the queen think that it was more complicated than she originally assumed. She didn’t mind in the slightest placing all the blame on her despicable ‘grandfather’, but the hurt and loss of trust she experienced after finding out Roy’s role was still there. She didn’t know how to reconcile it. 

Bringing her out of her contemplative thoughts, Riza’s eyes caught sight of her dress from the night before, where it was haphazardly tossed to the ground without a care. Even despite how serious their conversation had gotten, she couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the sight of it. A small twinkle also caught her eye, and she lifted an eyebrow when she saw her small crown laying beside the dress. She didn’t even remember Roy taking it off (perhaps she had done it) but she leaned down to pick it up, nonetheless. A soft smile graced her face as she walked back over to the bed, turning the piece of jewelry over in her hands. Finally, her eyes turned back toward Roy and she found him looking at her with an unreadable expression. She smiled again and, despite everything, spoke teasingly, “You know, it’s rather rude to throw a queen’s expensive crown to the ground like that.” She spun the jeweled crown around her finger before hopping back on the bed and crawling to where Roy sat watching her with rapt attention. 

He returned her soft smile. “Sorry, I was a bit distracted.” 

As she settled in beside him, a particularly childlike spark erupted and she reached forward to place the crown on his head. It sagged to the side, a touch too small for it, making him look rather ridiculous. He couldn’t help but laugh, in spite of everything, and Riza quickly joined him. “It suits you,” she told him with a cheeky grin. “You’d make a good Queen of Aerugo.” 

One of his hands reached up to grab it off his head with a smile. “Hmm, maybe, but certainly not as good as you,” he spoke definitively, as he returned her earlier gesture, placing the ornate piece of jewelry back where it truly belonged. She felt the weight of it with a startling clarity, and suddenly her anger and confusion from before resurfaced. Her smile fell and she looked down as she struggled with how to say what she really wanted to. 

“Roy,” she began, taking the crown off her head and setting it meaninglessly off to the side. “I know you’ve apologized and I know you’ve said you plan to accommodate my requests, but...I still can’t wrap my head around why you would give Aerugo such a horrible portion. When I talked to Winry, she said the same thing. It’s past the point of being upsetting, it just doesn’t add up at all in my mind. I still haven’t figured it out.” 

Immediately Roy sighed and, despite the sore, aching pain in his side, reached for Riza’s form and pulled her back into his chest. “My love,” he whispered, her favorite appellation of his sending a tremble down her spine. He began rubbing her back as he spoke, “I promise you there is a reason. There might have been some blind selfishness that got in the way at one point, but the real reason is so much bigger than all of that. But right now...it’s not the time for me to tell you.” 

Confused by his words, the queen twisted out of his grip so she could look him directly in the eyes. “What does that even mean? How could your reasoning be so severe that it caused such a huge oversight, while also so secretive you can’t even  _ tell  _ me?” 

“Riza,” Roy countered, his voice lowering more out of the seriousness of his words, rather than any kind of anger or frustration. “I want it to be the right time. I promise you, my reasons are genuine, but they’re too important to just spout off whenever I want. The time has to be right. I know lately I’ve done nothing to deserve it, but all I ask is that you trust me enough to wait until that time comes.” 

Riza pondered his plea, noting the sincerity behind his eyes. As she thought, he reached up again to move a piece of hair out of her face lovingly. His fingers lingered on her cheek and she could practically feel the walls she had hastily put up over the last few days crumbling once more. 

Could she trust him? The future of her kingdom was at stake here, and, as much as she loved him, she knew it could end up being a terrible mistake to trust his reasoning right now. 

But the way he looked at her made her feel as though there really was a sincere reason, and it would be that much sweeter if she trusted him and waited on the timing like he was asking her to. It was a gamble, a damn near ridiculous decision, and she had already put her heart out on the line unsuccessfully once before. 

But she was also tired of the feeling of emptiness in her heart, and she knew Roy could fill it better than anyone could. 

So she smiled softly and nodded her head. “Alright, I’ll trust you. I beg of you not to make me regret that decision.” 

Roy leaned forward to place his forehead against her own, and her eyes closed instinctively at the sensation. “I won’t, my queen. I can promise you that.” 

* * *

 

Winry raised an eyebrow as her fiance all but tossed her one of the wooden practice swords and she only just managed to catch it. “Really? This is your  _ best _ idea for how to spend our time alone together?” 

“Oh, wah, wah. I know you’ve been wanting a rematch since that time in the southern courtyard, and we may not have an audience, but I’m sure you’ll be just as eager for my blood,” Ed spoke with a smirk as he swung the light blade around to stretch out his muscles for their sparring match. 

Winry wanted to bite back at that, but she had to admit...he did have a point. Plus, with the craziness of the past few days, she certainly needed a way to relieve stress. She and Ed had tried some...other ways to accomplish that, but ended up getting interrupted or distracted each time. Besides, there were still some things she only wanted to share with him until after they said ‘I do’, so this would have to suffice for now. 

Letting her own confident smirk appear on her face, Winry followed the motions of her golden-haired knight. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. How can I pass up another opportunity to prove how much better of a swordfighter than you I am.” 

Ed’s eyes narrowed dangerously, yet playfully. “Bring it on, princess.” 

Not wasting a second, Winry lunged forward and met Ed’s fake blade with a loud ‘clack’. They twisted and turned and eagerly fought each other off like they had when he’d goaded her into their little contest in the southern courtyard. Thankfully, here in a private part of the training grounds, they could be alone. Riza certainly wouldn’t be storming into their match to drag her reluctant sister away this time around. 

Winry also had to admit, as she ducked low to avoid a particularly well-timed swing of Ed’s, that she enjoyed the freedom these old work pants provided. She’d spent that morning getting acquainted with the Amestrian royal blacksmith, another attempt to try and get her mind off of her rapidly mounting stress, and was still wearing her grimy work clothes when Ed coaxed her to the training grounds. She also couldn’t help but notice the way Ed’s eyes were constantly drawn to her tight pants, no doubt thoroughly enjoying the deviation from her normal flowing dresses. 

Maybe they would try some...other methods of destressing after this, Winry considered with an excited flutter. 

They sparred equally until the sweat began pouring down both their brows and their chests heaved from the exertion. It wasn’t until Ed took advantage of Winry’s rapidly depleting energy by finding a rare opening and ridding her of her wooden weapon did he even say anything. 

“Aha! I knew I could finally beat you,” he said with a self-satisfied grin. 

Winry heaved an exhausted sigh at the sight of her ‘sword’ lying about two feet away from where she had been standing. “Yeah, well, it took you long enough.” 

Lazily swinging his weapon around in victory, Ed’s expression turned a bit more serious. “Now maybe you can tell me what the hell has had you so wound up.” 

Even though the princess knew exactly what her future husband was referring to, she still tried to play it off. “What are you talking about?” 

Ed, however, was having none of that. His golden eyes narrowed and he haphazardly pointed the fake blade at her. “You know damn well what I’m talking about, Winry. Ever since a few nights ago when Riza missed dinner, you’ve been all quiet and reserved. And then when I tried to ask about it you would just snap at me and tell me you’re fine. I may not be a social butterfly, but I can at least tell when something’s wrong. Come on and talk to me.” 

Maybe it was just the piling stress of having to deal with an upcoming wedding and marriage, her sister’s fluctuating emotions, and her own feelings in regards to...well, everything, that was making her so defiant, but she wouldn’t give in to Ed’s concerns that easily. “And why the hell should I?” she asked, walking over to where her wooden blade lay before picking it back up. She pointed it at him in a fighting stance and Ed lifted an eyebrow. 

“Well, for starters,” he spoke as he also readied up, willing to indulge in another fight if it would loosen her up even further. “I’m going to marry you in about two months. People keep telling me communication is key for marriage.” Without any warning, Ed charged forward and clacked his sword against Winry’s. Though her reflexes were slowed due to how tired she seemed, she still managed to match him blow for blow, a true testament to her skill. 

“And second of all,” Ed began after he noticed yet another opening and quickly rid Winry of her sword once more. She let out an indignant huff, but he wasn’t done with her by a longshot. He lifted his blade up to her throat playfully, and was glad she at least paused long enough to listen to him. “I deserve some kind of prize for beating you.” 

Winry’s hands immediately went to her hips as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Isn’t inflating your already giant ego enough of a prize?”  

In a teasing gesture, Ed cocked his head to the side and spoke, “Mmm, not this time.” Eventually, he brought the blade back down as his face turned serious. “Come on, Win. I’m starting to get worried about you. Tell me what’s been going on.” 

Winry considered being difficult a bit longer, but she knew it would get them nowhere. She needed to be honest and transparent, especially with Ed. If they were going to share a life together, she needed to be prepared to share things like this with him. 

“It’s not really what’s been going on with me so much as...what’s been going on with Riza,” she finally admitted, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. 

Ed lifted an eyebrow and placed a hand on his hip. “Riza? This wouldn’t have anything to do with why King Asshat went off into the woods alone somewhere and almost got himself killed would it?” 

Winry’s eyes quickly found her fiance’s and she heaved a defeated sigh. “Possibly.” 

Ed scoffed. “You know, he actually called all of his court together today to apologize for worrying us.” 

“Wait, really?” 

“Yeah, I had just got out of the meeting with him when I came to find you. He at least seemed to be in a better mood than he has been the past few days. Maybe Riza is too,” he suggested, in an attempt to appease some of her unspoken concerns. 

The princess merely shrugged her shoulders. “Who knows? I haven’t seen her since last night. Ugh, it’s all so complicated.” 

Though Ed was usually quite averse to showing any kind of outward emotion, he walked up to where his fiance stood, and gently brushed a piece of hair away from her face. Her eyes widened and met his almost immediately, shocked at the small, but sincere intimacy he was showing. “You shouldn’t let what happens with your sister stress you out this much.” 

Winry sighed and closed her eyes. “What happens with Riza will  _ always _ stress me out. But...it’s more complicated than you know.” 

Again surprising her, Ed reached forward and quickly enveloped the princess in his arms, his hand lovingly rubbing across her back and his chin coming to rest atop her head (he’d brag about that fact another time). 

They stood in silence for awhile, Winry merely taking in all the comfort Ed could possibly provide before she sighed and figured she should just up and tell him. “The biggest issue isn’t just with Riza, though. It involves me too.” 

Ed’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What do you mean?” 

“Do you know who Lord Grumman is?” 

The golden-eyed knight still sounded confused at the relevancy of that question, but answered her anyway. “Yeah, he’s an old noble head that lives out East. Doesn’t come to the castle often, and hasn’t really since Al and I have been in the court. I’ve met him a few times, but that’s about it. Why?” 

Winry sighed and reluctantly disentangled herself from Ed’s embrace. “Apparently...he’s our grandfather.” 

It was silent as that information fully sunk in to the knight’s brain before he reeled back and sputtered out a startled, “Wait,  _ what _ ?” 

“Yeah,” she affirmed. “He’s our mother Cordelia’s father. We knew she was originally from Amestris, but we thought the rest of her family had died. Apparently he hadn’t wanted her to marry our father so they had a falling out before she got married and they never saw each other again. He only just now decided to tell us.” 

The further into the story she got, the angrier it seemed Ed was becoming. Eventually he shook his head a few times to grapple with this new piece of news before he turned back to his fiance. “How long have you known this?” 

“He told us a few days ago. The day Riza didn’t come to dinner.” 

“Gods, Winry, and you’ve been keeping it to yourself this whole time? Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I didn’t know how to tell you! Riza had run off furious and ended up getting into an argument with the king. Apparently he’d known all along and had made a promise to Lord Grumman not to tell us.” 

“Wait...he knew?” Ed asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. 

“Yes, but I’m not mad at him so you’re not allowed to get mad at him. There were reasons.” 

Ed scoffed and crossed his arms. “Yeah, I’m sure there were. So what are you going to do now?” 

Winry shrugged helplessly. “I don’t really know. Riza absolutely refuses to even talk to Grumman anymore, but...I don’t know if I want to do that. I mean, he’s my grandfather, Ed! Even after everything he’s done I still don’t feel like I can just cut him out of my life.” 

“You should!” was Ed’s immediate and rather venomous answer. Her eyes quickly found his, surprised at the amount of anger flowing out of them. She knew he probably wouldn’t be happy, but she hadn’t quite been expecting a reaction like this. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Riza’s right! You shouldn’t want to even look at someone who abandoned your mom and purposefully kept himself away from your family. The only type of person who does that is a bad person.” 

Winry’s eyes narrowed slightly at Ed’s words, knowing  _ exactly  _ where his emotion was coming from and not liking it in the slightest. They’d almost had this argument quite a few times, but every time she’d backed down, not wanting to rile Ed up. Now might be the time to stand her ground, however. “Ed, you can’t keep looking at people that way. Yeah, he did bad things, but he’s still  _ family _ . Some of the only family I have left. I’m not saying I’m going to just up and treat him like he’s my favorite grandfather or something, but I’d at least like to keep in touch.” 

“He doesn’t deserve that, Win,” Ed huffed out. 

“You don’t get to decide what he does or doesn’t deserve. I’m not like you, Ed. I’m not going to cut someone out of my life for what they did in the past.” 

There was stifling silence that followed after that comment, as Ed’s mouth gaped and his eyes narrowed even further, beginning to understand what she was hinting at. “What the hell does that mean?” 

“It means what I said it means! Not letting someone back into your life is a coward’s way. If someone is there offering forgiveness, you can at least try and reconcile with them.” 

Ed gritted his teeth together. “Winry, don’t even go there…” 

“I can and I will go there, Edward Elric. I’m sick and tired of you and Riza’s whole ‘one wrong deed and you’re done’ way of living your life. Keeping myself permanently closed off from my grandfather won’t do me any more good than you keeping yourself closed off from your father.” 

The princess could practically feel the anger and the rage practically pouring off of her fiance. She hadn’t ever wanted it to come to this, but she couldn’t keep her feelings on Ed’s father’s estrangement to herself any longer. Now that she was marrying him, he became her father as well. And she couldn’t stand the thought of never knowing him. The stress of the past few days was certainly contributing to her angry words, but Winry knew this blowout was inevitable the moment Ed told her he’d never talk to his father again. 

“One wrong deed?” Ed finally questioned, his voice dangerously low. “You really think that bastard abandoning me, Al, and our mom for years on end is just ‘one wrong deed’? How can you possibly even consider me letting him back into my life?” 

“Because he’s your family, Ed!” she shouted, reluctantly letting the tears pool in the corners of her eyes. “He’s the only thing you and Al have left besides each other.” 

“He gave up the right to be a part of our family when he  _ left _ , Winry.” 

“You know I’m not the only one who thinks this way,” she finally said, using what she knew to be her trump card. It was probably uncalled for to manipulate him this way, but the princess was at her wits end. She’d never argued this heatedly with him before. “You know  _ damn _ well that Alphonse wants to try and reconcile with him, but you won’t let him because of your own stubbornness.” 

“You don’t get a say in our family affairs, Winry!” Ed finally shouted, and she could tell that he immediately regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth. 

Her whole body stilled and became cold, even despite the regret currently filling Ed’s golden eyes. “No?” she bit out, the tears finally falling down her face. “And here I thought I was going to marry you and live the rest of my life with you. Silly me.” With one last snarling glare she turned her back and began walking away from the training grounds. 

“Wait, Winry! I didn’t-” he spoke desperately, but she immediately threw her hand out to stop him. 

“Just leave me alone, Ed. I’m clearly not a part of any of this,” she spoke in a cold tone before she turned and left without another word. 

* * *

 

After finally meeting with his court to dispel the last of their fears and apologize for having startled them all so badly the night before, Roy walked to his study, still favoring the wound at his side. When he arrived, he nearly collapsed into his desk chair, thoroughly exhausted after the events of the past few days. 

He and Riza’s extracurricular activities the night before certainly didn’t help his overwhelming exhaustion. 

Before he could even have a moment to breathe, there was a knock at his door. He sighed, rubbed a hand across his face, feeling his scraggly morning shadow starting to form, before he beckoned whoever was on the other side to come in. 

When his eyes fell on a familiar face, they widened in surprise. He probably should’ve expected he’d see the older man again before he no doubt went back to his home out East, but it was still startling to find Lord Grumman at the door to his personal study. 

“You have a minute?” his old mentor asked. “Or do you still hate me?” 

In spite of himself, Roy scoffed and shook his head. “I do still hate you, though I’ll let you say your piece,” he spoke, beckoning the other man further inside the room with a flick of his fingers. 

Grumman closed the door behind him and walked up to one of the chairs near the desk, before he sat in it with a sigh. “I hope the queen isn’t still mad at you,” was the first thing he said, and Roy was glad he hadn’t had a feather pen or something else in his hands at the time, otherwise it’d be in two pieces. 

Through gritted teeth, the king angrily replied, “Like you actually care.” 

“I do care,” Grumman emphasized, leaning forward in his chair. “I didn’t want to cause so much trouble for all of you.” 

“Then why did you come?” Roy bit out angrily. 

“Because I knew it needed to be said eventually, and it needed to be said by me. I’ve accepted that Riza will never even mildly think well of me. Winry at least seems willing to stay in contact, and for that I’m grateful.” 

Roy narrowed his eyes, not knowing that bit of information and not particularly liking it either. 

Grumman continued. “Your relationship with Riza certainly complicated things, and was not something I was expecting. You love her, don’t you?” the older man eventually asked, taking Roy completely by surprise. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped, before eventually he composed himself and gave a small nod of his head. 

“I could tell. The looks you kept giving her as I told my story spoke volumes well enough.” 

One of Roy’s hands formed a fist and he took a few steadying breath to calm his anger. Lord Grumman didn’t have a right to be talking to him like this. And, as always, he hated how perceptive he was. 

“Does she love you too?” Grumman finally asked. 

Before he could stop himself, Roy nearly spat out at him, “You don’t get to know that.” 

Grumman gave a small smile and scoffed. “Foolish boy. You just answered my question.” 

Roy gritted his teeth together when he realized his old mentor was right. 

The old man sighed. “Figures. I didn’t want Cordelia to leave Amestris, but she fell in love with a man in Aerugo. I’m sure Riza’s father didn’t want her anywhere besides Aerugo and yet here she is falling in love with an Amestrian man. I really do reap what I sow, don’t I?” 

“Did you have a purpose in coming here, Grumman?” Roy finally asked, his hands gripping the sides of his chair until his knuckles turned white. 

“I just wanted to offer you my sincerest apologies for whatever trouble I may have caused. I assure you, it was not my intention. You don’t have to forgive me, but I wanted you to hear that.” 

Trying to wrangle in his anger given the sincerity in the older man’s voice, Roy breathed through his nose a few times before he nodded his head in aquience. “Fine. Anything else?” 

Grumman sighed and slowly arose from his chair. “No, that was essentially it. I’m going back home now. I think I’ve overstayed my welcome long enough.” 

The king’s biting ‘yeah, no shit’ comment was held at the tip of his tongue, despite how badly he wanted to voice it. He may have made up with Riza, but he still did not think anything good about his old mentor after what had happened. 

“Although, there is one last thing I should tell you.” 

“What?” Roy asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose to appease his rapidly depleting patience. 

“Do you know where you keep the deeds and claims to all your lands?” 

Well, that question had certainly come from nowhere. Roy nearly fell back at how startling it was. He blinked a few times in confusion before answering, “Of course I do. What the hell does that have to do with anything?” 

“Keep them all safe. I mean it, Roy, don’t trust anyone. Protect them with your life if you have to.” 

If possible, Roy was even more befuddled. “Where is all of this coming from?” 

“That’s not important. I know you have no reason to do so, but trust me when I say that those deeds and treaties need to be protected above all else. You never know who can get to them or what they’ll do with them. Be vigilant.” 

There was something strangely mysterious about the way the older man spoke. Roy immediately knew Grumman was aware of something that he was not letting on, and at this point he wasn’t even sure he wanted to know. But still, his warning was frightfully ominous. 

“I’m the only one who knows where they are and the only one who can access them.” 

“Good. Keep it that way. It may not seem like it, but those claims are the entirety of your wealth and status. Your father almost let them slip away by becoming too familiar with people, so don’t make the same mistakes. You need to be steadfast, especially now.” 

Deciding not to beat around the bush any longer, Roy narrowed his eyes and asked, “What do you know that I don’t, old man?” 

Grumman sighed. “Nothing really. Just that things might start to get hectic around here. You have enemies in a lot of places, Roy. And you may form more in places you don’t expect. Don’t trust anyone, especially now.” 

The king was still confused as hell by the random warnings, but he nodded his head and agreed to follow the strange instruction as best he could. With one final goodbye, Grumman was out the door and Roy still felt as though he wasn’t being told a number of things. 

_ You have enemies in a lot of places, Roy _ . A frightening warning, to be sure, but the king was still confident he could handle it. He had more prestige than he ever previously had, a whole band of people he’d trust with his life, and a strong and formidable queen who would soon be forever by his side. 

He could handle whatever came his way. 


	12. Chapter 12

The quiet, yet calculated young Xingese bodyguard followed after her longtime charge, an air of determination mixed with mild curiosity surrounding the pair of them. She was only a step behind him, her usual spot, as they leisurely perused the span of the Amestrian royal gardens.

The emperor had been oddly quiet, and Lan Fan couldn't help but wonder what was going through his head. She'd known him long enough to understand his various moods, and right now he was in a 'quietly contemplative' one. She figured the tense atmosphere following their Amestrian hosts for the past few days had something to do with it. She knew it was beyond her place to ask him about it, but she knew something had to have occurred during the peace treaty talks a few days ago. She'd quietly observed the way the Amestrian king had silently fumed the entirety of their nightly dinner together, his eyes flickering over to the Aerugonian queen's empty seat constantly.

The emperor had seemed to also be affected by whatever had occurred and it had been the source of Lan Fan's inner turmoil for the past few days. She wanted to ask him about it, but they'd never gotten enough privacy for her to feel comfortable doing so. His random invitation to go look at the gardens had come as a surprise, but as attuned as she was to his hidden meanings, she knew why he had done it.

His voice suddenly breaking the calm silence of the summer afternoon brought the young bodyguard out of her thoughts. "This place is really quite beautiful, wouldn't you agree?" the emperor asked in their native language. Lan Fan's eyes focused on the back of his head and she had to wonder what he really wanted to say.

"Yes, my lord," she dutifully answered.

One of his hands reached out to lightly touch a fragrant blossom and she caught the edge of a small smile on his face. She clamped down on the flutter that wanted to erupt within her immediately. "We don't have nearly as many types of flowers as they do here in Amestris. This kingdom really is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen."

Lan Fan nodded her head. "Indeed it is, my lord. I don't think I've ever seen this much green in one place in my entire life."

Ling laughed softly at that reply before he continued walking. "What do you think about Amestris, Lan Fan?"

The question startled the young, Xingese woman, but she recovered quickly. "As you said, my lord, it's a beautiful kingdom. The people are very kind."

If possible, Ling's smile widened at that as he turned his head to look more directly at her. "No, Lan Fan, what do you  _really_  think about it?"

Ah, so that was why he had brought her out here all alone. Steadying herself, the young bodyguard answered, "There's a strange feel to this place. Like something lingering in the air. I haven't quite figured out what it is, but something about this kingdom doesn't feel right."

The emperor abruptly stopped and turned to face her with a knowing expression on his face. "So you noticed it too, then."

Lan Fan nodded and the emperor let out a long sigh before continuing. "Originally I had thought I was just imagining it. Everything had been going so well. We were welcomed as friends, our negotiations went along as planned, everything was fine. It wasn't until a few days ago that I started to think my intuition had been right."

Thought it pained her to stay silent due to the amount of curiosity she felt, she allowed her emperor to continue, as he mulled over the thoughts that had no doubt been plaguing him for a while.

"The Amestrian king and Aerugonian queen share a special bond. I don't particularly care either way what exactly that bond is, but it's there regardless. Yet, she apparently had no idea the portion she was to receive in the treaty, and was furious when she found out. Something about all of it feels very...fragile."

Lan Fan stopped, and Ling turned questioningly toward her. "May I speak freely to you, my lord?" she nervously asked, knowing she was overstepping all of their boundaries even asking him this.

Regardless, he smiled at her. "Of course you can, Lan Fan."

"If we are to form a long-term allyship with these people, using words like 'fragile' doesn't give me a lot of confidence that this will work out well."

Ling's face softened knowingly once he realized what her concerns were. "I can understand your fears. I have some of the same, but I still believe we're doing what's best for Xing. It's difficult to see, but sides are beginning to form. We can only hope that we've chosen the right one."

Lan Fan couldn't help but widen her eyes as she saw the determination practically pouring off her emperor. It was rare that he got this serious, so when he did, it was significant. She could tell he felt very strongly about all this, and was determined to make the best choices.

She only wished she had his confidence.

Suddenly, the emperor's body language and expression completely relaxed and he patted his stomach. "Well! I think it's getting close to lunchtime and I'm  _starving_. Let's go see if they have any more of those tarts, they're some of my favorites of the Amestrian cuisine."

Ling practically blew by her, but Lan Fan couldn't help but remain still. She didn't like the feelings she was experiencing just being in this kingdom, like something catastrophic was about to happen, and she didn't know how her emperor could just blow it aside so easily.

Noticing her continued uncertainty, Ling immediately stopped and turned back toward his bodyguard, walking up to her with a meaningful look behind his eyes. Taking her completely aback, he placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder, and her eyes immediately widened and met his.

"Don't worry, Lan Fan. A battle might be brewing, but I fully believe we are on the right side of it, both for ourselves and for Xing. I promise you I'll work harder than ever to make sure it turns out alright. Okay?"

Rendered speechless by his words, Lan Fan could merely nod her head shakily at him before he smiled and beckoned her to follow him to lunch.

* * *

Roy walked down the corridors of his castle in stride with his First Knight, who he had called to discuss benign organizational tidbits dealing with the Amestrian army. In a showing of rare casualness, the king had his hands in the pockets of his trousers and a content smile on his face. It was strange how he had been looking at the world for the past few days. The sun seemed brighter, birds chirped louder, and all was right with everything.

Still, it didn't stop the small vein in the king's forehead from wanting to pop every time his right hand man eyed him from the side like he was a mad man. It wasn't just Havoc that had been a bit...curious about the king's demeanor lately. Practically his entire court had been giving him strange looks and whispered words of confusion every time he was in a room with any of them. Honestly, was it that odd for him to be this happy? It wasn't like everything was going his way, he had just been feeling particularly content with life recently. What was so strange about that?

After Havoc worriedly glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes for the thousandth time, the king finally decided he'd had enough. Stopping abruptly in the middle of the corridor and waiting for his First Knight to follow suit, Roy turned an exasperated look toward Jean.

"What, for the love of the gods, is wrong with you, Havoc? Do I have something on my face?"

The blonde knight seemed taken aback at first by his king's sudden question, but regained his composure quickly. "No, it's nothing like that, Your Majesty," he guiltily replied, avoiding Roy's harsh stare. "You've just seemed awfully...chipper lately."

Heaving a sigh, the king rolled his eyes and continued their leisurely stroll down the corridor, Havoc dutifully following after him. "Is that really so strange? I've been in a good mood the past few days."

"Yeah...but you were a miserable mope not long before that. The night after all that shit went down in the treaty talks you looked like you'd been run over by a horse. Now, you're smelling flowers and breathing in the fresh air like some kind of weird poet. Something had to have happened."

Roy couldn't help but scoff at that explanation. "And I suppose this is what you and everyone else has been whispering urgently to yourselves when I'm not looking?"

The king chanced a glance at his knight and narrowed his eyes when he saw Jean not seeming even the least bit remorseful. "Pretty much. We've all been wondering. As far as we can tell nothing has changed."

"It's not like it was anything drastic. It's just some things have finally worked out in my favor, and I'm happy about it."

Again Havoc shot his king a glance, but this one was far more calculating than the previous ones had been. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Queen Riza  _also_  being uncharacteristically upbeat lately, now would it?"

Despite everything, Roy had a difficult time clamping down on the smile that wanted to emerge at the mention of Riza. He didn't want to think his positive mood was solely because they'd finally gotten together, but he couldn't ignore how long it had been since he'd been with a woman...in that way. He'd been able to handle the more base of his desires since he'd become a widower, but he was still a man who had been very much...deprived as of late.

To say he was satisfied was an understatement.

All the same, he couldn't exactly tell his court he now wanted to smell the grass and admire the blueness of the sky because he'd slept with the Aeurgonian queen. Nevermind the uproar it would cause, Riza would probably castrate him if he said a word. So, he pushed down the last of his self-satisfied pride at the recent turn of events and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe," was all he spoke in reply.

He wasn't watching him to see it, but Havoc's face practically contorted with a sly grin at Roy's response and general shift in demeanor. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "So I take it you and the queen kissed and made up, huh?"

Almost as soon as the words had left the knight's mouth, the king's eyes darted around for any listening ears, thankfully finding the corridor empty, but no less annoyed at Jean's blabbering mouth. Havoc had the unfortunate pleasure of being one of the few people fully aware of the extent of Roy and Riza's relationship. As far as the king could tell, he'd kept his promise to not say anything, but Roy also knew his right hand man well enough to know Jean was a bit lacking when it came to any kind of tact.

Lowering his voice to a harsh whisper, the king replied, "You mind keeping any mentions of...that to yourself? Gods, Havoc, no one besides you and a few others know we're even together."

Not the least bit phased, Jean replied. "Oh, please, everyone knows you guys have something going on."

Roy's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and he turned in shock toward his knight who raised his hands innocently in surrender. "Not officially of course!" he spoke quickly, to appease the panicking king, who merely glared in response. "Just that everyone sees the way you two act around each other. If you think you're being subtle, you're sorely mistaken."

The king didn't like that fact, but he continued on anyway. "Regardless. Try not to blather on about us 'kissing and making up'."

"Yeah, yeah. You got it, Chief," Havoc responded casually, using the nickname Roy despised. When had he lost all the respect from his court? Honestly, all of them would be hanged in any other kingdom for the way they treated their ruler.

They walked in silence for a moment before Jean spoke up thoughtfully. "Glad you and the queen worked everything out, but I do have to wonder...you seem a bit too happy to have just gotten a kiss and an apology. Did something...else happen?" The sly tone to the knight's voice made Roy clamp down hard on whatever response he could've given. Havoc might not have been the smartest strategist the king had under his command...but he was far too perceptive for his own good.

Of course, Roy's lack of a response was all the confirmation Jean needed, and the king pinched the bridge of his nose while the knight practically cackled to his side. "Oh ho ho.  _I_ get it now. No wonder you've been acting like all the stars have aligned."

To spare a fragment of his dignity, the king managed to do away with whatever embarrassing feelings were welling up at having been found out so easily. He didn't want Havoc to see him, gods forbid, blush. He would've never heard the end of it.

"Well, damn, Your Majesty, I'm happy for you. To be honest, I was starting to get a little worried. Men like yourself can't stay abstinent for that long."

"Yes, I appreciate the concern," the king grumbled out, wanting to roll his eyes at the irony of suddenly being put into such a foul mood after supposedly acting like a "weird poet" the past few days.

They came to the doors that led out to where the army training grounds were and made to part ways, a fact the king wholly welcomed in that moment. He didn't get away without a few more teasing remarks from his First Knight, however.

"And hey, I know it's probably been a while, so if you need pointers or anything…"

"Shut the hell up, Havoc. Go see to the guard training before I strangle you," Roy gritted out, not even caring that Jean was eating up his annoyance.

"Sure, sure. Just try and make it so I don't walk in on you again. You had clothes on the first time, but something tells me that won't be the case the next time," Havoc spoke with a stupid twinkle in his eye, just managing to slip away from the king's lunge, laughing joyously to himself as he pushed through the doors and made his way across the grounds. Roy shook his head as he watched him go, his day thoroughly ruined.

Although, he was planning on seeing Riza later, so all was not lost.

Continuing on to his original destination in an attempt to put that entire conversation behind him, the king greeted the various servants and guards who respectfully bowed as he passed. Eventually he made his way to the stable grounds, intent on checking in with the workers who kept the place running smoothly, a normal day-to-day royal task of his. He spoke with the few men who took care of the grooming and feeding of the horses as well as the medicinal worker who made sure they were all healthy. He leisurely perused the pens, only stopping to give Riza's white steed an affectionate pat on the side of its head before coming up to his own horse.

He greeted his horse's personal caretaker, an older man who had been working in the stables since Roy was a boy. "Good morning, Jeffrey," he spoke as he moved to pet his steed, the animal affectionately leaning into his master's motions.

The stable worker started at the call, apparently not paying much attention to his surroundings before he came to and gave a small bow. "Ah...good mornin', 'Ya Majesty. Wasn't expecting to see ya here."

Roy smiled as he grabbed a few nearby sugar cubes and fed them to the horse. "Sorry for surprising you. I'm just doing a few routine check-ins."

Jeffrey nodded his head before looking off to the side, his face furrowing in concern. The king picked up on this and tilted his head in thought before addressing the man. "You seem a bit distracted. Is everything alright?"

The stable worker seemed surprised at how easily he had been found out, but he immediately decided there was no point in lying to the king. "To be honest, 'Ya Majesty. Not really."

"What is it?" Roy asked, turning fully toward the other man.

Jeffrey began fiddling with the grimy cloth he had in his hands, wringing it repeatedly as he worriedly looked off to the side. "Well, it's probably nothing ya need to concern 'yaself with. I think I'm the only one who cares."

"Come now, Jeffrey, we've known each other long enough for that not to be true. If something bothers you, it bothers me. What is it?"

Heaving a large sigh at his ruler's words, the older man began. "Well...yestaday as I was in the village gettin' some supplies, I found this real dirty black and white dog. She was big ole pregnant, had a full litter with 'er, just lookin' for scraps on the street. So I brought 'er back here."

The concern on the man's face was enough for Roy to know how this was probably going to go. Still, he gently encouraged the man to continue.

"Not long after I did, she started havin 'em. Seven little pups, all together. But she was too sick and hungry. I think the effort of it was too much." At this point in the story the older man's head dropped a bit and Roy immediately could sympathize. One of the reasons he liked Jeffrey so much and had trusted him to personally take care of his horse was because of the man's love for animals. It didn't matter how dirty or smelly it was, Jeffrey would try to take care of it. Most of the time that put him in a difficult position with the other stable workers, who never saw the point of it, but Roy had always appreciated that about him. He could only imagine how bad watching a dog die giving birth had hurt the man.

"Then all the pups started goin'. They was too sick too, I think. Only one's still left. I'm givin' it some milk we have 'round, but everyone thinks I should just get rid of 'im. He's a small thing. Won't make a good huntin' dog."

Roy's brow furrowed even more at this information. Now he could fully understand why the older man had seemed so worried. Most of the other people who worked around the stables based their decisions on practicality. There was no point in keeping a sick puppy, giving it resources the trained dogs they took on hunting trips would need, if it wouldn't serve any purpose around the castle. Still, Roy could feel for the other man, and knew the difficult position this had put him in.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, he addressed Jeffrey. "Can I see him? The puppy?" he asked, startling the older stable worker.

"Ya want to see 'im?" he asked in confusion.

The king merely nodded his head with a reassuring look before Jeffrey perked up a bit and lead him off to an empty pen. When they turned the corner and the king looked down into the hay, his heart tugged at the sight. The mother of the pups was still there, wrapped in a ragged old cloth and completely still. A collection of puppies were placed with her, an act the king knew had not been accidental. A little off to the side, resting atop another small cloth, was the lone puppy, the only one of its brothers and sisters to survive.

Roy walked into the pen and leaned down, delicately rubbing his fingers along the pup's fur, watching as it reacted to the affection, no doubt searching for a milk source. The king's eyes glanced back at the mother and his face twisted in confusion. "What kind of dog is she? I don't think I've ever seen anything like her before."

At the question Jeffrey quickly came to squat next to where Roy was, affectionately petting the passed dog, even despite her dirty, matted fur. "That's what I thought too. One of the servants who takes care of the huntin' dogs says he thinks she comes from Xing. Probably brought over to be sold on the market, then left to die when no one took 'er," Jeffrey answered, his voice becoming filled with anger at the thought of what the poor dog had gone through before she had her puppies.

Roy hummed low in his throat as he thought about it as well. It was certainly possible. A desire for more exotic dogs had been rising in Amestris, as people began to want to keep the animals as something besides tools for hunting. He even knew a few nobles who kept them as pets. Still, the thought of a dog coming all the way from Xing was rather unbelievable, though he wouldn't put it past the illegal merchants trying to find money wherever they could get it.

He, like Jeffrey, wished they could have saved the mother and the rest of her puppies, but there was nothing they could do now. The question remained what to do with the lone survivor since, as his stable worker had pointed out, the breed was too small to be useful around the castle, and the poor thing would only use up limited resources.

The king turned to look at Jeffrey, and immediately knew he couldn't just let them give the puppy up. The older man's face was twisted with sadness, and the king felt attached enough to him to know he had to do something. He contemplated what that could be, since he certainly didn't have time to keep up with a dog, until a thought appeared in his mind. He berated himself for not coming up with the idea right away because it was so perfect.

Gently, Roy reached down and picked up the squirming pup, the little thing almost fitting neatly into the palm of his hand, as a smile emerged on his face and he turned toward the other man with determined eyes.

"I'll go speak to the others so that they know to take care of him until he's big enough to come into the castle. I'll make sure they won't hurt him."

At the sudden proclamation, Jeffrey's eyes widened and he turned toward the king in surprise. "Y-Ya mean you'll take 'im?" he asked in surprise, his voice revealing a tinge of hope.

"While I certainly wouldn't mind having a companion like this little guy...I think I know someone who might appreciate him even more."

* * *

Winry brought the hammer down upon the hot steel with a fervent strength, reveling in the harsh sound of metal against metal. The sweat dripped down her forehead but she paid no attention to it, continuously hammering away on her latest project. She was grateful the heated workshop was empty. The Amestrian royal blacksmith had graciously allowed her to work in his space and, upon seeing her red and tearful eyes and quietly closed off demeanor, had left her alone, knowing it's what she wanted most.

Despite her desire to will them away, a few more tears leaked from her eyes and she brought the hammer down again, this time with a bit more force than was necessary. She paused long enough to furiously wipe away at the streaks with her leather-gloved hands. Even though she knew no one was around to judge, she still didn't want to be found like this, emotional and weak. This was the one place she figured she could get all her hellish emotions off her chest, but since she had started working they seemed to only multiply.

It had been a few days since her argument with Ed, and she was still a complete and total wreck. She couldn't even figure out whether she was more angry with him or hurt by his harsh words. She still believed he was being completely irrational, and couldn't find it in herself to even allow him to apologize, as Alphonse had informed her multiple times he had been trying to do. She knew his words would be empty, though. Nothing she had said changed his mind. He had been holding on to his grudge against his father for years, and one blow out fight with his fiance was unlikely to change that.

And perhaps that was what really angered her. As he had wrongfully pointed out himself, she was not a part of that discussion. Her opinions clearly didn't matter to him. He would go on forcefully excluding his father from his life, and whatever life they were going to build together, no matter how much she wanted him to try to reconcile things. Not even his little brother had been able to change his mind, as Al had secretly told her a few times. Alphonse wanted to at least try to reach out, but Ed had vehemently shut him down each time. If he wasn't going to listen to Al, he sure wasn't going to listen to her.

She scoffed as she continued her hammering, marveling at how similar he and Riza were, despite having seemingly polar opposite demeanors. They shared the same level of passion, and that translated to the same kind of hatred and blind anger against those that had wronged them. They believed extending any kind of grace was naive and pointless, and Winry despised that about the both of them.

It wasn't like she wanted either her grandfather or Ed and Al's father to become like the parents she no longer had. She understood the terrible things they each had done. Both men had walked out on their families, a horrible offense to be sure. Winry was far from stupid. She didn't believe in blind hate, but she also didn't believe in blind love either.

Still, Winry could recognize true sincerity. Just the tone of Lord Grumman's voice as he had related the story of his fallout with her mother had spoken volumes of his regret and his desire to make things right, no matter how it ended up for him. Though she had never talked to Ed and Al's father directly, Alphonse had told her of the many, many attempts he had made to try and meet with his sons, to explain why he had left them and their mother. He clearly wanted to be a part of their lives again, and even just that was enough to tell Winry about his sincerity. Was it right for Ed and Riza to ignore all of that because of their own hatred?

The princess certainly didn't think so, and she hated how she couldn't possibly get it through either Ed or Riza's thick skulls as well. They both would continue on in their anger, not even thinking about her opinion on the matter, and that's what hurt worst of all.

She continued hammering away, trying to channel all her emotions into what she was doing. It was only when she finally pulled the steel she had been hitting away and watched as it snapped in two, her furious hammering rendering it paper thin, did she take a moment just to breathe. She let out a disgruntled huff and tossed the hammer on the work bench. With her hands on her hips, she tried her best to control the pace of her harsh breathing. While a good way to blow off steam, coming here had been far from relaxing, and it certainly wasn't fixing any of her problems.

With her back turned to the workshop entrance, her soul nearly left her body when a familiar voice suddenly spoke.

"Gods, Winry. And here I thought you were trying to split the whole workshop in half."

The princess swiveled around in shock, pausing for a moment as her eyes fell upon her older sister, who was looking at her like she had two heads. Riza's expression was wary and cautious, like she wasn't sure whether her little sister was about to completely explode or not.

Once the surprise of her sudden entrance had died down, Winry's face became stoic and expressionless and she turned back around, throwing the ruined piece in a scraps pile. "How long have you been here?" she asked with a flat tone.

"A few minutes. I was afraid if I stopped you earlier, you'd throw the hammer at me." Riza's tone was still cautious, though she relaxed a bit as she moved further into the workshop, her rich blue and purple robes contrasting once again with the grimy feel of her surroundings.

Winry scoffed at that comment and began gathering supplies to start her project over. "Probably not that unreasonable."

She wasn't looking to see Riza's eyes narrow slightly at the sarcastic reply, but the queen still continued on all the same. "I'm glad I finally found you. It feels like we've been playing tag the last few weeks. You can't ever track me down and now it's the opposite. You haven't been coming to meals lately."

"I've been busy," was the princess's short reply, her eyes never straying from her work.

"With what? Certainly not wedding planning, since I've been doing that by myself the last few days." Winry's fist clenched slightly at the accusatory tone, and she really did wonder how much longer she had before she completely lost it. As usual, her older sister could only focus on her own issues. The fact that Winry had been by herself the last few days, dealing with all her conflicting thoughts, had probably not even registered to the queen until it became obvious enough to affect her.

"I've just wanted to be alone, that's all."

"You? Wanting to be alone? For days on end? Come on, Winry, I'm not an idiot. Tell me what's wrong."

The princess's hands immediately paused in their work and she quickly met her sister's concerned gaze. She wasn't sure whether she was more angry or shocked at the way Riza was looking at her. After weeks (hell,  _months_ ) of Winry acting like the big sister, helping fix all the queen's problems, Riza was standing before her trying to be comforting and soothing and looking like she had all the answers. It was infuriating and frankly hypocritical.

When the princess couldn't find a way to respond, Riza continued. "I know I've been blowing you off lately and for that I'm sorry. You were right when you said we need to talk about...everything, and now I'm ready. If you want to talk, let's talk."

A thick silence enveloped the both of them as Winry had to find a way to contain her anger even a little bit, staring at her older sister in shock. Finally, she took a deep breath and began.

"Riza, are you even the slightest bit capable of thinking about anyone other than yourself?"

The queen's eyes immediately widened in shock.

"Did you really think that I had isolated myself because of  _your_  problems? That I was sitting around whining and boo-hooing because my poor big sister is too much of an idiot to let go of a smidge of her own pride?"

At these words, Riza's mouth dropped open fully, but no words could apparently come out as she was too overcome with surprise at what Winry was saying. The fact that she could be that taken aback at having finally been called out just made the princess even angrier.

"We haven't even spoken in three days and  _now_ you're concerned? Was it too much for you to even stop and listen to me before you had everything settled in your life? You want to talk? Fine, let's talk."

Before the princess could begin her tirade, the queen let out a befuddled, "W-Winry. What are you-?"

"No, Riza, you're going to sit there, shut up, and listen to what I have to say for once. I'm not your counselor. If you really thought finally tracking me down to get off what  _you_ have on your chest was going to work out then you were sorely mistaken. Things are not about you right now. Got it?"

The queen could only blink in shock and stay silent as the princess delved into her true feelings.

"While you were busy fixating on all of your issues, Ed and I got into a huge argument and haven't spoken in days. You want to know what it was about?"

She didn't let Riza answer.

"Ed is determined to never speak to his father again, because he walked out on them when they were kids. Even though Al has told me that their dad has repeatedly reached out to try and reconcile, Ed won't hear anything of it. I told him I'd like to at least try and get to know my future father-in-law, especially since I...you know, don't have any parents left alive and all."

Riza's face fell flat as she continued to listen to her sister vent, her mind no doubt running a mile a minute.

"Ed's response to that was to furiously put down everything I said, proclaim his never ending hatred for his father, and then proceed to tell me that I have no place in his family affairs."

Riza's eyes widened in disbelief at that, but the princess was far from over.

"So, despite all of my own opinions, Ed has decided to hold on to his unforgiving hatred toward a family member who walked away now looking for some form of reconciliation. No matter what I or anyone has to say, his mind is completely made up and I, as he said, 'have no place in it'. Sound familiar?"

As Winry paused, the queen's face flashed in understanding before becoming completely neutral. Now she knew why her sister was truly angry. It went far deeper than either her or Ed.

"Now maybe you can see why I'm a little frustrated. Two of the most important people in my life continue to completely exclude me and my thoughts because they're both blinded by their own hatred. And I'm goddamn sick of it."

The princess watched as her sister tightened her jaw and attempted to get in a word. "Winry, that is not what-"

"No, Riza, you don't get to say anything right now. For my  _entire_  life, I have sat and been silent with anything having to do with Mom. I haven't overstepped my boundaries and I've left you with your own thoughts because I didn't know her and you did. I didn't want to sound insensitive so I didn't say anything. Every single bullshit thing that has happened in regards to her I have kept my opinions to myself. I even gave you time to get your head straight after Grumman's reveal. But after everything with Ed, I am sick of staying silent.

"You think holding everything inside is going to work out for you? You think having a grudge like this is going to be what's best? Who is it supposed to be best for, because it's certainly not for either you or I. Your hatred affects more than just yourself, Riza. When will you realize that!?"

Finally stopping to take a breath, Winry watched as her sister's face fell, and she struggled to form a response. It was a wasted effort, though. The princess was far beyond waiting for an understanding conversation. She needed to vent. She needed to tell Riza everything that had been on her mind, not just for the last few weeks, but for the past few years. What the queen decided to do with all that information would be up to her.

"I love you, Riza, but sometimes you can be so selfish. Mom doesn't mean something just to you. I may not have known her but she is still a  _part_ of me. I want to cling to every last bit of her I can. If that means sending a letter every once and a while to Grumman, then so be it. Because he's a part of her, just like you and I. Blindly hating him for the rest of your life will get you absolutely no where."

With her last word in, Winry threw down her tools and furiously pushed past her befuddled sister to storm out of the workshop. She couldn't bear to look at Riza's crestfallen face for another second. She couldn't let herself think telling her all of this was a mistake. She had made her decision, and now she would let Riza, and eventually Ed, react.

She only hoped they would both forgive her.

* * *

It was far too late for him to be walking around the castle. The treaty talks were set to begin again early the next morning and he knew he had to be awake for them, especially since Riza was supposed to be presenting her case for Aerugo's place in the terms.

But, to be fair, Riza was the reason Roy was walking the darkened corridors holding a single candlestick for light. They were supposed to meet in private that evening, but she had sent a servant with the message that she was too tired and would just go off to bed. Something about all of it had sounded strange, especially since she had also skipped dinner. He knew it made him look a  _touch_ possessive, but he couldn't get it out of his mind that something was wrong. So, he was searching through the corridors of his castle, trying to find where she had run off to. He knew her well enough to know the last place she'd be was in her bedchambers.

The few possibilities Roy had thought to check came up empty, but he was sure his next idea would be fruitful, especially if Riza was as much of a procrastinator as he was.

And, sure enough, as he waved his flame around the expansive archives room, he noticed a flicker coming from behind a few stacks of scrolls. He made no move to be quiet, since he partially suspected she knew he him well enough to know he'd be looking for her, just like he knew her 'message' from earlier had been a complete lie.

When he turned the corner, he almost laughed at the way his heart skipped at the sight of her, hunched over a table covered in books and scrolls, a feather pen furiously making notes on a piece of parchment. One candle, half-burned down, was flickering from the corner, telling him how long she must have been here already.

Though she had to have been fully aware of his presence, she made no move to acknowledge him. He frowned at that, but walked to where she sat, all the same.

"You're up late," he spoke into the silence simply, setting his candle beside hers.

"I needed to make a few last minute revisions to my case," she replied, her eyes never leaving her work.

He eyed the parchment she was writing on and lifted an eyebrow. "Something tells me it's been finished for hours. It's the middle of the night, you should be in bed."

"So should you. How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't," he spoke as he casually leaned against the table, less than a foot from where she sat. She continued to keep her eyes on what she was doing, though. "All I knew was that message you sent me earlier was complete bullshit."

Riza sighed at that. "I must be losing my touch. I thought I'd at least be a bit more convincing."

Roy chuckled low in his throat. "I think Margaret would have figured out you were lying. My only question is the need for the lie. Why the diversion? Afraid I'd spoil your argument?"

Pausing in her furious writing motions for the first time since he had entered, Riza sighed and replied cryptically, "I just needed to be alone for a bit."

Taking her by surprise, Roy reached out and brushed his fingers lightly across her cheek. He continued his stroking motions, as the queen's eyes closed slowly, her face leaning into him. "You're upset about something," he stated matter-of-factly. "Are you angry with me?"

Immediately, Riza shook her head and leaned back away from him, her eyes opening with a rare sadness that had Roy instantly on his toes, wondering at what could be wrong. "No, I'm not angry with anyone...aside from myself."

"What is it?" he asked again in a low voice, this time pulling up a chair and sitting so that he was at her eye level, giving her his full attention.

The queen sighed and began. "It's Winry. She's...I don't even know if 'mad' is the right word or not, but she's...not happy with me."

"Why?"

"She and Ed apparently had a huge argument. She's been a wreck for days and I was too caught up in everything we were going through to even notice."

At this bit of information, Roy sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes. "An argument? What did he do? Do I need to go talk to him?" Winry felt like enough of a sister to him that if his own knight had done something to hurt her, he'd be out for blood within an instant. He set aside the fact that he also hadn't noticed anything had been wrong with either Winry or Ed, though he hadn't seen either of them in a few days, now that he thought about it.

Riza shook her head. "No, it's far more complicated than that. It's not a good idea to get involved. I've just been beating myself up for not noticing it quicker...among other things."

Seeing the way her face fell, Roy was immediately reaching out for her, hoping to provide some form of comfort. "Hey now, you've had plenty of your own stuff to deal with. Surely Winry can't hold that against you."

"That's just it, though. It's all that 'stuff' that has her so mad. It's difficult to explain. I just...I need to figure out...a lot of things."

Roy's hand began rubbing up and down her back, hoping to at least say with motions what he might not have been able to with words. "Anything I can help with?"

The queen let out another sigh. "Unfortunately...I don't think so. I don't mean to be so cryptic, but a lot of it has to do with our family. It wouldn't help anyone out for you to get involved."

The king couldn't help but wonder if Lord Grumman was at the root of at least some of this, a thought that only served to anger him.

"Well, all the same," Roy continued on. "You know I'm always here for you, whether that be for advice or just someone to scream and yell at."

The king watched in wonder as Riza finally let out a small smile at his words. She turned toward him for the first time since he had found her and spoke in a soft voice, "I know. I'm glad I have you."

Roy's face softened and he leaned forward. "I'm glad I have you too," he whispered before capturing her lips in a soft and lingering kiss. When he pulled back, an air of determination overtook him. "You know, it might not solve all your problems, but there's something I want to give you that may help lift your spirits."

The childlike grin that overtook his face had the queen eyeing him skeptically before he practically pulled her to her feet and dragged her out of the archives.

* * *

"You know, when you said you had something for me I wasn't really expecting to be taken to the stables in the middle of the night," Riza spoke with a wary voice, her hand in the king's as he lead her down to the castle grounds and through the dimly lit stables.

With a suggestive grin, the king looked back and asked. "And just what exactly were you expecting?"

Riza didn't even bother giving that a response as they entered the stables and Roy used a lantern to light their path. They passed by the rows of horses and stopped suddenly in front of her own. "Wait here," Roy advised in a near giddy voice before he sat down the lantern and walked to another part of the stables. Riza could only guess what was up his sleeve as she lovingly stroked her white steed. She turned toward the familiar horse and lifted an eyebrow.

"I must be insane for falling in love with that man," she told the horse in a quiet voice, before waiting only a few more moments for Roy's return. She wasn't expecting him to have company though.

An older man dressed in the typical garb of a stable worker followed the king. When his eyes fell upon her, they widened in shock before he immediately bowed.

"Jeffrey," Roy spoke once they had approached her. "Remember when I said there was someone I knew who would be able to take your...little friend?" he said, turning toward the stable worker.

The 'Jeffrey' man stood back up and nervously nodded his head, looking as confused as Riza felt. "Y-yeah."

"Well, here she is. I'll give you the honor of showing Her Majesty her surprise."

Jeffrey gulped and looked upon her with scared eyes, but still nodded his head at the king's words. "A-alright. He's over 'ere."

"Who is?" the queen finally asked Roy, still completely uncertain of what to make of this entire situation.

The king responded with a, "Just wait and see," and she nearly shook her head at the twinkle in his eyes. Still, she followed after the stable worker until they all came upon an empty pen. The stable worker paused and turned toward her reverently.

"Sorry it's kinda dirty. I'd understand if ya don't want to mess up ya pretty dress, but he's in there."

"Again I ask...who?" Before Jeffrey could respond, Roy placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Your newest friend, if you'll take him. I remember you saying a few times how you wished you had a companion like this little guy. Like I said earlier, it may not solve all your problems, but hopefully he brings you a bit more joy."

With one last questioning look at the king, Riza walked into the pen to see for herself just 'who' the two men were even talking about. For a moment she saw nothing, and began to wonder if this was all some sort of joke. Then, her eyes fell upon the tiny bundle of cloth housing an even tinier ball of fur.

The queen's eyes widened in surprise as she began to realize what was waiting for her. She stepped further into the pen, not even noticing as Jeffrey's hand reached out, probably to stop her from messing up her 'pretty dress'. However, as the queen kneeled down atop the hay and uncovered the tiny squirming animal, she found she couldn't give a damn about what she was wearing.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she got a good look at the puppy. He was tiny, still practically a newborn, but even the stoic queen couldn't deny how  _precious_  he was. She knew Roy was watching gleefully as her whole face softened and she gently reached down to pick the puppy up, cradling it in her hands as it gave a tiny yawn.

She turned toward Roy expectantly. "He's for me?"

The king nodded. "Yeah, if you want him. He'll stay here for a few weeks as he grows, but once he's big enough, he can come live in the castle with you. Jeffrey found his mom lost and hungry in the village. He's too small to be a hunting dog so there's not really anywhere else for him to go."

Riza's eyes drifted back down to the black and white puppy already becoming quite comfortable in her arms and her heart tugged at the thought. "Poor thing," she spoke in a gentle voice, softly petting his fur.

"I think he likes ya," Jeffrey commented, a goofy grin of his own plastered on his face. The queen could tell this was something both he and Roy had worried over. Though neither of them should have had any concerns.

Riza knew this little guy would be forever hers as soon as she laid eyes on him.

Standing back to her feet, she carried the puppy to the pen's entrance where the other two stood. "He'll have strict rules if he stays with me. I won't be an easy mistress, but I do quite enjoy the idea of having a little companion."

"Really? You'll take 'im?" Jeffrey asked enthusiastically.

Riza's eyes turned toward Roy and found him affectionately looking toward her. "Somehow I knew you'd say that," he spoke in a quiet voice. "He's yours."

The queen held the little pup up to her mouth and placed a small kiss on his fur. "Thank you," she mouthed toward the king, who only winked in response.

"What're ya gonna name 'im?" Jeffrey asked.

"Hmm, I'm not sure yet. But I'll come up with something before he comes to live with me."

"Oh! This is so great. I can't wait to tell Eustice and Ian that someone's gonna take the little pup. They kept saying no one'd want 'im."

"And now he belongs to a queen. It's been a big day for this little one," Riza replied slyly.

The queen continued petting the puppy as he practically purred in her arms. As Roy said, he certainly wouldn't fix all her many, many problems, but the idea that he had thought to offer him up to her made her heart swell. She could already imagine all the things they'd be able to do together. She didn't regularly admit it, but she absolutely adored dogs, and had always wanted to call one her own.

_Hayate sounds like a good name for a dog…_

* * *

"Well, so much for that," the woman with the lusciously long black hair and violet eyes lamented as she read the hastily scribbled message she had just received. She turned toward her companion with a shrug of her shoulders. "Looks like we'll have to get involved quicker than we thought we would."

Her companion gave a growl from the corner. "Ugh, this is already too much work. They sure made up quickly. The sex can't be  _that_  good."

The woman chuckled darkly at that comment. "Some women will bow for far less...trust me."

"So what are you going to do now?"

With a put upon sigh, the woman tossed aside the message and stood to her feet. She moved to a box in the corner of the dimly lit room and threw open the lid. She dug out the old rags and the tangled fur made to look like the mane of an aged hag before closing it behind her. "I'm going to do what I do best. Ignite the fire."

The companion smiled sadistically. "Finally. Now our plans will really start to yield us some nice fruit. Do your worst, Lust."

The woman smiled, revealing her sharp teeth. "With pleasure, Envy."


	13. Chapter 13

The golden-haired knight stared broodily at the pond in the center of the castle gardens, a place where he had found himself spending a lot of of his time lately. Once his regular duties as a high-ranking guard in the court were done for the day, he realized he couldn't stop wandering around, eventually deciding to settle at one of the more peaceful places within the castle walls.

It also helped that it was usually devoid of people.

Ed found he wasn't in the mood for jabbing conversations that would force him to address, well, everything. His mind hadn't stopped moving a mile a minute since the argument with Winry and he didn't have plans to sort it all out anytime soon. He just wanted to be alone. He wanted to stew in his negative feelings and guilt. Half of him felt like utter and complete dog shit for the things he had said to the princess, the other wanted to scream and yell and couldn't figure out why Winry wouldn't waver on this.

She couldn't possibly know what it had felt like. What it was like to watch someone who was  _supposed_ to always be there for his family walk out the door and never come back, only to then watch the one person who gave his life purpose and peace fall into an illness, partially caused by her own grief at being left alone. Winry didn't know what he had gone through. Gods willing, she never would.

From everything he had heard, Winry's father and whoever helped raise her had been excellent role models and guardians. Her father had taught her the ways of royalty, not excluding her from the things that would normally only be taught to princes and kings. He had loved his wife and two daughters fiercely. Winry didn't understand what it felt like to be rejected by a parent.

But, on the other side of it, she didn't even know what it was like having a mother in the first place. She'd had her father's love for almost eighteen years, but even that she could no longer fall back on. Her parents were gone forever. She may not be able to understand part of Ed's feelings...but Ed only half understood what it was like to lose your parents. He had been overcome with grief even to this day at the death of his mother, but Winry hadn't voluntarily removed herself from her parent's lives. They were taken from her.

So...Ed found himself in the same circle of confusion he had been stuck in ever since that day on the training grounds. He felt he was justified in his feelings, but he was also beginning to realize Winry was justified in her own, as well. So where did that leave them?

The knight scoffed when he answered his own question. That left them apart, moping off in their own corners without speaking for days, uncertain who to turn to or what to even say.

By now, the nature of their spat had gotten out to the majority of the court. It wasn't too unusual to skip a few meals and generally stay to yourself for a day or two. But it had been over a week now, making it painfully obvious to everyone what was happening as soon as they looked at Winry's decisively empty spot at dinner each night.

A few people had tried to pull him aside to talk. Alphonse had been making attempts relentlessly without any success. Eventually, he seemed to just give up, an act made easier by Al's personal feelings on the matter, which Ed were completely positive contradicted his own. He just wasn't ready to face the implications. He knew he had to apologize, and he had been trying to do so ever since he watched the love of his life walk away with tears running down her cheeks.

Tears  _he_ had caused.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before picking up a stone and skipping it across the man made pond. That was the worst part about all of this. While he knew part of his anger was fully justified (even if Winry couldn't understand it), he also had made a promise to himself to never,  _ever_ , make her cry again. He had seen the way she sobbed and screeched at he and his brother those first few nights after she arrived in Amestris. He knew every specific detail of what she had gone through. It was part of his duty as her future husband to make sure none of those feelings ever got drudged up. And then he had gone and directly caused her so much pain.

" _You don't get a say in our family affairs, Winry!"_

He had wanted to punch himself as soon as the words had left his mouth. He still couldn't figure out what had possessed him to even mention something so cruel. She would be a part of his family in just a short month (for now), why shouldn't her opinion on he and Al's father matter? The crestfallen and almost...betrayed...look on her face had hurt worse than a dagger to his heart. He was beginning to become afraid that he had done irreversible damage. Would she ever trust him again? Would he trust himself?

"Surely you have better things to do than stare at a pond all day?" a familiar, though not entirely expected, voice suddenly rang out. Too depressed to even startle, the young knight simply turned around and raised an eyebrow. Ed was lucky the new arrival's creepy bodyguard was no where around (at least from what he could tell), because she probably would've slapped him upside the head for greeting an emperor in such a way.

"Says the guy who runs an entire empire yet spends all day walking through gardens. You and Lan Fan aren't as subtle as you think you are."

Emperor Ling, with his hands behind his back and a genial smile on his face, chuckled at him. "Don't say things like that. She can be here with a dagger at your throat in less than a second."

An unsettling thought, but one Ed had heard a hundred times.

He rolled his eyes as the Xingese man came to stand just to the side of where he sat by the pond.

"No offense, Your Righteousness, but I'd rather be left alone," Ed grunted out, turning his attention back to the rippling waters of the pond.

A small scoff escaped the young emperor's lips at that. "You and everyone else around here, it seems. Too bad I don't give much of a care to personal space."

"No shit," the knight said as Ling leaned down to pick up a pebble, inspected it, and mindlessly tossed it into the water, enjoying the disruption of the still surface.

"You know, I wouldn't consider myself the world's expert on wooing a lady, but angrily brooding to yourself for days on end instead of facing your problems doesn't seem like a winning solution."

Knowing Ling would make a comment like this, Ed barely even reacted. He wanted to shake his head at how much of a failure his plan to get alone had become. Even here, no one was capable of leaving him to his own devices. All that solidarity in the Amestrian kingdom was coming back to bite him in the ass.

"I'm not ignoring my problems. I'm trying to figure them out," the knight eventually replied, picking up a stone and tossing it across the pond with more force than was strictly necessary.

The emperor tilted his head in thought, as if Ed's issues were just some big social experiment to him. "Hm, is that so? And just how much have you successfully 'figured out' while your fiance is off crying by herself day in and day out?"

Ed's fists curled up in anger, but he breathed deeply to rein in any further actions. Ling wasn't the bad guy in this situation, as much as he wanted to believe.

"It's complicated," he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Yes, I'm sure. So is life. But that young woman is not just a summer fling. She's your future wife. Moping separately instead of working together to come to a resolution will get you nowhere. You have no idea how lucky you are to even get to love her in the first place. Why waste all of that because you can't agree?"

At the emperor's words and the strangely cryptic note of his voice, Ed turned toward his royal companion in shock, his eyes widening at the way Ling stared out at the pond, a story quite obviously hiding behind his gaze.

As the silence stretched on, the emperor turned to meet the eyes of the surprised knight, his face softening in his familiar teasing way. "We're not far apart in age, Sir Edward, but I've had to grow up a lot faster than most. Being handed an entire kingdom will do that. I've had to sacrifice more than I can even express." Here, the emperor's eyes took on a faraway look, and Ed had a slight suspicion of what the other man could be thinking about. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be on my hands and knees at the princess's feet. It's not that what you think isn't valid, it's that holding onto past transgressions brings more hate and anguish than letting it go."

As Ed processed the wise words, he couldn't help but voice one of his many questions. "H-How do you know about all this?"

The emperor's face turned sly as he replied, "The Xingese are very observant. There's more to my 'walks through the gardens' than meets the eye." With a nonchalant shrug, the young ruler turned on his feet, his hands casually held behind his back. "See you around, Shortie," he spoke, his voice reverting to his normal carefree tone with the use of Ed's least favorite nickname. "I hope your girl starts coming to meals again soon. She's much more pleasant to look at than your brooding face."

And, just like that, the emperor of Xing was gone as quickly as he came, leaving a very confused, yet very contemplative Amestrian knight in his wake.

* * *

For probably the thousandth time over the last week, Alphonse found his eyes wandering back to his new partner in crime. They were  _supposed_  to be perusing through the old alchemical texts looking for ways to connect the familiar Amestrian science with its Xingese counterpart, but a few loose strands of Mei's silky black hair were drifting down her face while her expression remained adorably furrowed as she studied the scroll before her. How was Al supposed to look away?

Quickly, he shook those thoughts from his mind and forcibly returned his eyes to what he was reading. While he and the Xingese princess had grown close over the last week or so since he'd first shown her the archives and they'd concocted their little mini research project, he certainly didn't have a right (or a need) to be caught staring at her while they worked. Sure, he had foolishly told her himself that he thought she was pretty, but that didn't take away from the budding friendship he desperately wanted to preserve.

Although, as tempting as it was to daydream about the gorgeous princess, the young knight would be lying if he said she was the only thing occupying all his thoughts lately.

He frowned as he thought about his elder brother, no doubt off moping by himself... _again_. Al didn't know whether he was more angry with him or concerned for him. Probably a mix of the two, given all that had happened. Alphonse had made many, many attempts to get his brother to open up and work through his roiling emotions, but Ed had refused every time, to the point Al couldn't even be bothered to try anymore. He'd originally gotten a basic rundown of what had been said when he found his brother angrily taking his sword to half the training dummies, their measly straw innards torn to pieces, but Ed had vehemently denied his younger sibling any more information, or the opportunity to offer his own opinion. He was blandly cordial when they had to be together for their basic duties, then immediately went off on his own, not even giving Al the chance to try and start a conversation.

The younger Elric brother heaved another sigh and rubbed at his eyes, the words on the scroll not even registering. He couldn't believe his older brother's animosity toward their father had carried him this far. Alphonse certainly hadn't put it past Ed to hold a grudge for the rest of his life, but to take it out on Winry in such a way? That was something Al had not been expecting in the slightest.

"Is something wrong, Alphonse?" his feminine companion asked suddenly, ripping him out of his depressing thoughts. He attempted to compose himself at the sight of her large, blinking eyes, all the while pushing the sadness that wanted to boil up away. He managed a lopsided smile and shook his head at the princess.

"N-no, I'm alright."

Mei pursed her lips together and set down the feather quill she had been using to take notes. "Are you sure? You've been really quiet today."

A part of Al's heart tugged at the way her face furrowed with concern. The emotions inside of him were taking him in two completely different directions. "Yeah...sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

The princess hummed in understanding. "Still thinking about your brother?"

Knowing it was pointless to try and cover it up any further, Al nodded. "Yeah," he admitted in a somber voice. "He's still keeping to himself."

Mei shook her head. "Really? It's been what...a week since he stopped talking to everyone? He really needs to get his head on straight already."

Al couldn't help a small smile at her well-intentioned frustration. Ever since she'd stepped through the outer walls of the capital city, her opinion of his brother hadn't been too high. She had related to Al a few days ago that she thought he was a mean brute without a shred of feelings for others. While he had tried to assure her there were more sides to his elder brother, this past week had him thinking part of what she thought was true.

"The stuff he's dealing with is...heavy. It goes beyond just Winry. Our family has some...issues."

An overly delicate way to put it, but still accurate nonetheless.

In an uncharacteristic move, Mei scoffed and shook her head at his words. "Every family has issues. And none of them could probably come even close to what my 'family' has to deal with. Al, I know you've been trying to get him to talk and you want to give him space, but this has gone too far. You need to knock some sense into him!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist down on the table to emphasize her point, startling him slightly.

"I-I know," Al responded, a little unsure of what to make of her mini outburst. "It's just difficult because...I don't necessarily agree with the things he's being motivated by. And he knows that too, which is why I suspect he refuses to talk about it."

Again, Mei shook her head. "That's not what brothers do, though. If all my siblings agreed all the time, Xing would be unstoppable. You don't have to agree with him, but you  _do_ need to talk it through."

Al contemplated her words. He knew she was right. She had related a bit more of her own dicey family situation a while back and he could tell she was being sincere. Mei had many, many siblings, the majority of which would love to see her and Emperor Ling dead. She had once wanted the same of Ling, but after a series of events she still had difficulty talking about, they had joined together. She now spoke of the emperor with a fondness that would rival his own relationship with his brother. He knew his opinion on reconciling with his father shouldn't stop him from talking to Ed.

He also knew the last thing his brother's relationship needed was an argument before he could talk to him. Right now Ed's volatile emotions could make things even worse than they already were with Winry. Alphonse wasn't going to let the two of them destroy what they had created. They were destined for each other, in every sense, and he refused to let something like this come between them.

With reinvigorated resolve, Al smiled at his companion and stood from the table. "You're right. I can't let this go on any further. I'm going to find him right now!"

Even with his new task, the knight still couldn't help the small blush that bloomed on his cheeks as Princess Mei smiled and cheered him on. He really did need to help Ed figure everything out, because the young knight just knew only his brother could help  _him_  figure his love life out.

* * *

They really,  _really_ shouldn't be doing this, Riza thought as one of Roy's hands hiked up the end of her dress and skidded across the skin of her leg, eventually resting on the outside of her thigh. Ever since their relationship had started (and really since Riza had been back in Amestris) they hadn't done the best job at keeping things as under wraps as possible. Most of the court already knew what they were up to, even if a lot of it was still speculation, and a growing handful of people knew  _every_  detail. So why were they still constantly toying the line of caution? Ever since that night a few weeks ago, it was like they'd gotten more and more bold with showing each other affection. At first it was just brushed hands and lingering gazes.

Now Riza found herself atop Roy's desk in the middle of his study, his tongue in her mouth and his hands lifting her dress.

Gods, did they even remember to lock the damn door?

The queen let out a quick gasp as the king's mouth became less occupied with her own and more with the skin of her neck, nipping and sucking lightly to get more and more reactions out of her. She tightened her grip on his tunic, trying to keep as quiet as possible. The king's study was still guarded by two soldiers right outside the door. She didn't really care about their opinion of them, but word does tend to spread like fire in a close-knit castle like Roy's.

Groaning fitfully, the queen's eyes drifted to the large table by the king's desk, where various pieces of parchment were still laid out. She had originally met him here to discuss the treaty terms more and figure out the logistics of the raised percentage for Aerugo both Roy and Ling had eventually agreed upon. Very quickly the king and queen found themselves occupied elsewhere.

Suddenly, Riza felt the king's hands drifting toward her back, itching to untie the strings of her dress, and she knew she had to quench this fire before it spread out of control. Regrettably pulling away from Roy's ministrations, she braced her hands on his shoulders and caught his devilish gaze, her head shaking at him.

"N-not here. Anyone could walk in on us," she told him breathlessly, a stirring unlike any other forming at the smirk that took up residence on his face at her words.

He tilted his head and leaned forward, ghosting across her lips, but not capturing them fully, an act he knew drove her crazy. "I know a secret way back to my bedroom if that's what you'd prefer."

Her hands tightened on his shoulders and she gave him a sly smirk of her own. "You're insatiable. We're  _supposed_  to be working."

"We work all damn day. Sometimes we need to...take a break." To emphasize his point, Roy's hand underneath her dress squeezed at her thigh before it began to tantalizingly drift further up toward her center. He was doing delightfully sinful things, but she knew she had to stop him.

Shaking her head, she pushed him away once more, wiggling from his hands and hopping off his desk. She lowered her dress while trying to keep the crimson from her cheeks. "As tempting as that is, one of us should still remain rational. These estimates won't write themselves, you know."

He scowled at her as she walked out of arm's reach from him, going back to their hastily abandoned work on the table. She tried not to think about earlier, when he had desperately whispered all the things he was capable of doing to her on top of it.

Heaving a put upon sigh, Roy finally spoke as she began rummaging through the numbers etched on the parchment once more. "Alright, as you wish. But if we finish early, will you allow me to pick up where we left off this evening?"

Her hands stilled on one piece of paper and her eyes met his dark gaze. "Perhaps," she teased, loving the way he ate up the low and suggestive tone of her voice.

In an effort to not let the building heat distract them further, the king and queen lapsed into silence, their quills scratching away as they calculated the particular revenue estimates that would yield their kingdoms the best profits after the treaty with Xing was finalized. It was monotonous work, but Riza couldn't deny how proud she was that Roy had finally let her in on such a momentous project. The case she had presented to he and Emperor Ling had been ironclad, and they really both couldn't refuse. While Aerugo still didn't get the same cut as the larger kingdoms, Riza truly believed she had come out the other side with a fair deal. It was her first big international victory as the ruler of Aerugo.

Breaking the queen out of her thoughts, Roy's voice suddenly rang throughout the large study. "Hard to believe that this is actually happening. Amestris hasn't had success like this since I took the throne from my father."

Smiling knowingly at him, the queen added, "I know how you feel. So many people have underestimated us. It's nice to see our hard work has produced something of worth."

Roy returned the fond look. "You're a formidable ruler, Your Majesty. Aerugo would not be where it is without you."

"Your flattery is as impeccable as always," Riza teased in an effort to hide the blush that wanted to erupt at his compliment.

"I'm serious, Riza. When I think about all that you've had to endure, all that people have said...and yet here you are. Leading a rapidly growing and prosperous kingdom on your own. I know even I had my doubts, but lately it's been as clear to me as water. You're a capable ruler."

The queen's hands paused and her eyes met Roy's sincere gaze in shock. She was used to Roy showering her with sweet nothings and affectionate titles, but never had he spoken such praise to her. She wasn't really sure where all of this was coming from, but it certainly filled her with a warmth unlike anything she had experienced lately. Trust this man to always keep her on her toes.

"I think we've both surprised ourselves," she managed to respond with. "Leading kingdoms like these at such a young age and alone, neither of us were expecting to ever get here."

Roy shook his head, his eyes drifting toward one of the large windows in the study where a perfect view of the capital city laid out around his castle could be seen. "Can you believe that if everything had gone according to plan, our kingdoms would be joined by now?"

"And we'd be married," Riza spoke, the thought daunting.

Roy smirked. "You'd probably be miserable, if you'd had to marry me when I turned eighteen. You'd be nothing but the source of my heirs, and the keeper of the Amestrian household."

The queen pondered this, having spent long hours (especially over the last year) thinking about what  _could_  have been. "We would've made it work, I believe, but you're right. I don't think my father would have focused as much on training me if I was just going to be married off to build a kingdom. My mother would have been doing the 'training'. And it would not have involved a bow and arrow."

"I know you've been through a lot...we both have, but I'm still glad we turned out the way we did."

Again, Riza's eyes found his and she smiled at the love in his gaze. All the heartache of losing her mother and taking on the kingdom of Aerugo single-handedly was not what she'd consider 'worth it', but it was comforting to know they both were in a better place, having learned things about themselves and the way they related to others through their journeys. The queen wanted to shake her head at the direction this conversation turned. Since when had they become so introspective?

In an effort to lighten things up a bit, yet still stay on topic, she spoke, "You know, I wonder sometimes...especially as we're doing all this work...the specifics of what our fathers had in mind."

Roy's head tilted as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Looking back at the mountain of papers before them, she replied, "Well, just look at all of this. These treaty terms are creating so much work, and it's nothing compared to the logistics of joining two powerful kingdoms. I've always just wondered what exactly our fathers wanted to do."

"Huh, I guess I always have too, now that you mention it. They must've had something worked up. I remember my father telling me they'd even had terms written before...everything happened."

Riza nodded her head. "Yes, my father told me the same. Do you think they burned them?"

"No, my father wouldn't have allowed it. He was far too meticulous with all his deeds and treaties. He kept everything. I have no doubt he still held the terms, on the off chance something could eventually be worked out."

"Where do you think they are now?" Riza curiously asked, though it was more along the lines of thinking aloud.

Roy's face furrowed as he thought. "I don't know. Probably not here, if I had to guess."

"Why do you say that?"

"My father liked to keep records of everything, but he was far too busy to keep track of it all himself. He regularly gave high-ranking members of his court his deeds and mandates and such as his own way of record keeping. I'm sure some old nobleman somewhere has it."

Riza paused as she thought about this. Roy's father liked to hand off important documents to his court members and would have probably done the same with the defunct Amestrian-Aerugonian joining treaty. She had always wanted to get her hands on it. Before, it had been out of mere curiosity, wondering how her father and Roy's had envisioned the complicated joining of the two kingdoms. Now she had a far more important reason to want to see it…

And she had a dreaded suspicion of just who could have it.

She shook her head suddenly, ridding her mind of such thoughts. That wasn't something she should be worrying about right now. She had time to think on it and make any moves to do something. Again, she directed the conversation to a more curious, thoughtful topic rather than something more serious.

"Are you like your father in that way?"

"Somewhat. While I can't keep track of everything myself, I don't know if I trust everyone enough to just hand them the responsibility."

Riza nodded her head in agreement. "I'm the same way. I keep all my deeds close to myself, and have only told a few people where they even are."

Roy's face turned sly as he replied. "I've created my own little trick to hiding them. You'd have to know me very well to even figure it out."

The queen lifted an eyebrow. "What does that mean? Do you hide them behind a secret door or something?"

She was really only kidding, not having ever given a thought to what Roy did with his most vital pieces of parchment. It was always a sensitive topic with rulers to discuss things like this. Letting someone with bad intentions get their hands on a kingdom's deeds could spell disaster, since it only took a good price from a wealthy man to gain the power of half a country if it was found, but she still wasn't expecting the king to tense up as quickly as he did. The light-hearted look on his face fell, replaced by a simultaneously far-off and guarded expression that the queen couldn't help but wonder at. He seemed to be thinking back to something specific.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I know as well as you do how important those documents are. Besides, even if I did know the location, what am I going to do? Sneak in to steal all your deeds, claiming your lands for myself? Long live Aerugo!"

Roy gave a small smile at her teasing, but there still remained some air of trepidation behind his eyes. Riza knew he trusted her with many things, but a small part of her stilled at the fact that he very clearly didn't trust her with this.

Now being the one to shake off the serious direction the conversation took, Roy's face returned to normal and he smiled at her. "I have nothing to fear, clearly, but I  _am_ getting restless sitting here doing all this paperwork. I had arranged for my men to get my boat ready to take out on the lake. I'd love it if you joined me."

Riza couldn't help but eye him incredulously at the sudden, and rather strange, offer. "Your...boat?" she asked in an unsure tone.

A small twinkle appearing in his eyes, the king stood to his feet with new resolve. "Yes, my sailboat. I don't use it often but when the weather gets like this and the sun is in just the right position...it makes for perfect sailing weather. I've been meaning to take you out."

She eyed him warily and, if possible, his grin widened even more. "What? You've never been on a sailboat before? Well now you  _have_  to come with me."

Riza's eyes narrowed, but she took the king's proffered hand, nonetheless. "Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?"

* * *

Just when she thought she had the man figured out, he had to go and throw this one on her. Riza sat, as ladylike as she could possibly manage, on the pristine wooden sailboat as it bobbed along the East Lake waters, the afternoon sun shining down on her. While the queen couldn't deny the euphoric feeling of the wind against her face and the smell of the briny water as it misted around them from each splash, she still couldn't believe she had agreed to this. For probably the hundredth time she chanced a glance at the boat's captain behind her, busy making sure they stayed their course and the sail was positioned just so to keep them gliding along.

 _Next he's going to tell me he's a court jester in his spare time_ , she thought with a small roll of her eyes.

Still, despite the surprise of the hobby, he did look rather at ease back there, manning everything while she began to eat from the small spread of food a few servants had left for them to munch on. It wasn't that big of a boat, but it certainly road the small waves out on the lake majestically, and Riza couldn't help but be lulled by the gentle sway.

Eventually finding a more peaceful spot on the massive body of water, Roy secured a few ties, moved the sail how he wanted it, and the boat slowly began to coast along. Roy approached where she was sat and lowered himself down, taking a handful of grapes and plopping them into his mouth decisively.

"So...where did you learn to do this?" she asked, voicing the question that had been on her mind since he had led her to the docks closest to the capital city. Tearing off a piece of bread she lounged back on the blanket she'd been sat upon, the king coming to join her.

"My father taught me. Never was there a summer as a kid that we didn't come out to the lake together. The boat was originally his. He had it made to help woo my mother."

Riza smiled. "Ah, so it's your bachelor boat, then?"

Roy laughed at that. "Yes, I suppose so."

They silently ate from their mini picnic as the boat gently rocked, a million thoughts running through both their minds. Ever since he had presented the offer to her, Riza had noticed the king seemed a bit...off. Originally she had thought it was because of their earlier conversation, but as they continued to lounge and Roy's face became more and more nervous, she realized he probably had other intentions.

And, finally, after picking apart the same piece of bread until it was torn into bits too small for even the seagulls to try and eat, the king cleared his throat and turned toward her. "I've been meaning to bring you out here for awhile. On the lake, we can be apart from everyone else and can be alone in ways that just aren't possible back at the castle."

She noticed the way he avoided her gaze and fidgeted. While it filled her with nerves to realize he had something vastly important to tell her, she still leaned forward, placing a reassuring hand on his arm to help calm him. That did the trick for a bit, and he continued.

"There are so many things I need to tell you...but the biggest is one I've been putting off for so long. Something I should have told you long ago."

The queen's whole body stilled as he spoke.

"You know how much I love you, how much I've always loved you, but you still don't know everything about me or my story. That needs to change."

Riza's eyes widened.

"You're not the only woman I've ever loved. I've never told you anything about my late wife or what things were like when she was around. You've told me about your past, so now I think it's time I tell you about mine, if you'll allow me."

Riza's heart sped up and she felt frozen in time, but she had been waiting for so long to have these questions answered, and she realized it was an important step in their relationship for him to share these things.

So she nodded her head, and encouraged him to continue.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Roy began. "I met Isabella at a peace summit not long after I took the throne. I'm not sure I believe in love at first sight, but that was about the closest thing I've ever come to it…"

As the queen listened with rapt attention, Roy told the story of how he fell in love with the Cretian named Isabella.


	14. Chapter 14

_*Eight years ago*_

Roy straightened his stuffy clothes for the night and heaved another weighted sigh. He could already feel himself sweating in the oppressive summer heat, even though the sun had long since set. He'd only been king for half a year and he already hated these types of gatherings. All the pomp and circumstance for no real purpose. Showings of wealth that meant nothing for the changes he wanted to start in his kingdom.

His mentor cleared his throat decisively from just to the young man's right, signalling that their entrance into the grand hall would be quickly upon them. To anyone else it sounded like a casual reminder, but the young man knew what it really meant.  _Get your act together and start behaving like a ruler, kid. Lots of eyes are about to be on you._

Roy resisted the urge to tug away the collar of his heavy tunic for the thousandth time as the guards went to ready the guests for the king's arrival.

"Remind me again why we're even doing this," Roy muttered under his breath to the two men at his side. One had to struggle to contain his snort of laughter and the other merely sighed.

"You know why we're here, Roy. The Cretians may not be everyone's favorite group, but a tentative peace means summits like this one are a necessary routine," Lord Grumman spoke in a low and cautious tone.

"Yeah,  _Roy_. Make nice with the neighbors or else they'll kick you from the throne," Maes snickered. Why the king considered him his best friend, he wasn't even sure. The other young man loved to make fun of all the king's new duties. To Maes, Roy was just an old friend. Seeing him on the throne of Amestris was more comedic than exciting.

Grumman sighed. The king knew he hated acting like a glorified babysitter to the two of them. Though king he might be, to the prominent Amestrian lord, Roy would always be a young boy. Even at twenty years old he still wasn't enough of an adult in Grumman's eyes.

Though, to be fair, as the young king fidgeted and griped, he wasn't altogether wrong. Roy had had to grow up fast since first his father, then his mother, passed away. One of the most powerful kingdoms in the world was now under his command, and he still didn't feel even remotely ready for it. He wanted to go back to the days of prodding jokes with his friends and indulgent skirt-chasing of the noblemen's daughters. He certainly didn't want to play nice with old Cretians for an entire evening.

But, as he was beginning to realize more and more with each passing day as the ruler of Amestris, duty was duty. So, as the doors were finally pulled apart and the noble men made their grand entrance into the main hall of the castle, Roy straightened himself up, wiped the bored-to-tears look from his face, and did what he had to do. The nervous feeling still fluttered in his stomach upon getting a glimpse at all the people watching his every move, and he wondered if it would ever subside even years down the line. Would he ever truly feel prepared for any of this? Would he ever feel like he actually knew what he was doing?

Unlikely, he thought with an inward grimace.

Taking his place in the middle of the head table, the elaborate chair setting him apart from the rest, he officially announced the commencement of the festivities for the night, much to the enjoyment of Amestrian and Cretian alike.

The kingdom of Creta had certainly given the Amestrians their fair share of headaches in the past, but ever since the newest king had been coronated years ago, things were beginning to look up with their tentative relations. They certainly couldn't claim the loyalty and allyship that Amestris shared with Aerugo, but perhaps all the neighboring kingdoms could get along well enough.

Said ruler of Creta, King Andres, wasn't in attendance that evening, due to dealings with other nations, but many of the Cretian royal court members were. The purpose of the night was less about creating treaties and more about celebrating this peculiar new "friendship" Andres and (begrudgingly) Roy were trying to create. So, the newly minted King of Amestris sat through the traditional dances and festivities celebrating both kingdom's cultures. He plastered on a fake smile and shook hands with hundreds of wealthy Cretians and Amestrians, tried to get a bite or two of food in as he was being pulled in every direction, and generally attempted to not make a fool out of himself. Though his position was the highest in the room, he knew from every forced pleasantry sent his way that very little of the noblemen actually took him seriously. They were more willing to kiss up to his advisor, Lord Grumman, than they were to him.

Oh well, that meant less bending over backwards for him.

At one point later in the night, as the young man's feet began to ache and his stomach growled angrily, he was told to sit at his majestic spot at the head table so more presentations of noblemen could be conducted. The thought bored him to tears, but the ability to sit back and do nothing for a little while would not be passed up. So, Roy tried not to slouch in his throne-like chair as both Maes and Lord Grumman sat on either side of him, and a handful of Cretian noble families stepped forward.

It was mostly the same of what he had already endured throughout the night, only this time the families presented the king with a gift and usually a small showing of their elite upbringing, whether that be through song or dance or some other artistic performance. They were mostly uneventful, as Roy spent his time trying to keep track of all the names presented to him.

In hindsight, the young king would realize that, as the last of the Cretian families came forward, the beginning of one of the best and worst parts of his life had just begun.

"And lastly, Your Majesty, I present one of the highest and most prosperous families in all of Creta, the noble house of Catalina."

A sizeable group stepped forward, dressed in robes of the richest colors, adorned with jewels. Roy paid them no more mind than anyone else as the patriarch began naming off his sons and their combined worth, seemingly in an attempt to impress, despite how little the Amestrian cared in that moment.

It wasn't until the nobleman started naming off his daughters did Roy begin to show some interest, for all the selfish reasons in the book.

"And my two daughters," the head of the Catalina family spoke, his voice losing some of its pride and interest that was present as he introduced his sons. "My eldest, Isabella, and my youngest, Rebecca."

The two girls stepped forward, and bowed respectfully before him. There were plenty of beautiful noblemen's daughters, but what was really peculiar about the Catalina girls were the elaborate masks they wore, concealing most of what Roy knew had to be handsome faces. Isabella had dark, smooth hair that fell down her back like a waterfall, whereas Rebecca's curled up around her face, showing off her youth. Their dresses looked more like costumes, the patterns sewn into the fabric with brilliant colors and jewels making them stand apart from the others.

Being that Roy was a young man used to getting what he wanted in this particular territory, he couldn't help the sly smile that took up residence on his face as he nodded at the two women. He already knew why they appeared so different from the rest of his family. He could almost see Grumman rolling his eyes as he sat up straight in his chair and allowed them to proceed, suddenly taking a more significant interest in the presentation to come from the two girls than he'd had with the others.

"Isabella has a voice unrivaled among all the women in Creta. And my Rebecca is a magnificent dancer. They would love to present a song to you, Your Majesty, on behalf of our family."

Thoroughly invested, especially seeing the way the eldest daughter's eyes kept flickering up to look at him curiously through the holes on her mask, Roy nodded his head. "Of course," he directed.

The rest of the large family moved aside, with a few more women dressed similarly (no doubt lesser ranked members of the Catalina house) coming forward to join the two sisters. The musicians raised their instruments as the girls got in formation, readying their well-practiced performance for their important host.

Without even thinking about it, Roy leaned forward in his chair with interest as the low and sultry tones of the music began to play, the familiar notes of the Cretian style enveloping them. Both Grumman and Maes eyed him from the side, with equally knowing looks, though Grumman was more exasperated with his antics while his friend couldn't help but join in on the appreciation.

The eldest Catalina daughter, Isabella, stood in the center as the other girls began dancing around her, their elaborate gowns swishing from side to side as Rebecca led them, her steps sure. She was silent for a moment, her head lowered as the beginning notes continued to play and the dancers moved. Eventually, her face lifted, her eyes meeting Roy's directly as she began to sing.

And Roy promptly forgot how to breathe.

The Amestrian king had no doubt that the Catalina patriarch's claims that Isabella's voice was unrivaled in Creta were true. As she began the song in her native language, all eyes in the room were instantly on her. Even behind her mask, everyone could tell she was a sight to behold because of her beauty, but her melodic voice was what really drew all the attention to her.

Roy quickly became mesmerized with the way her tongue rolled the 'r's' of the words he didn't even know the meaning of and her face changed with the pacing of the music. Her whole body expressed the meaning of the lyrics to where it didn't even matter that she was singing in Cretian, everyone could understand the passion and the drive of the song.

As the music progressed, Isabella produced a small fan and began dancing in conjunction with her sister and the rest of the dancers, her voice never wavering. She carried the meaning of the performance with every angelic sounding syllable from her mouth. It was breathtaking listening to her, so much so that Roy didn't even need to keep his eyes open to be entranced. Her beauty had nothing to do with the rapidly growing interest festering inside of him. As soon as she and her sister were done, the king wanted nothing more than to approach her and find out everything he could about her. It was strange, the way she instantly overtook his senses. The Amestrian noblewomen were beautiful, but they had nothing on this incredible Cretian creature.

Only just remembering to clap enthusiastically when they finished, Roy had to take a minute to catch his breath, especially seeing the way Isabella's mouth tilted up into a small and knowing smile at his appreciation. She kept her head bowed respectfully, and the king wanted to curse her for it. He wanted to see the deep and dark color of her eyes and all the secrets they held.

He  _needed_  to.

* * *

Rebecca Catalina, the youngest member of the noble Cretian family and a girl of only sixteen years old, pulled her elder sister to a more secluded side of the Amestrian grand hall with a giggle barely contained behind her lips. Isabella followed her with an exasperated huff and a hint of rouge blooming on her cheeks. She knew what the first words out of her sister's mouth would be before they were even uttered.

Once Rebecca was pleased with the relative privacy, she yanked her sister to a stop and turned her bemused gaze on her. In their native tongue, she spoke excitedly, "Did you see the way he looked at you, Bella? I've never seen a man more entranced than when he watched you. And such attention from a  _king,_ no less!"

The light color on the elder Catalina sister's cheeks blossomed into a full rose as she tried to play down her sister's excitement. "While I'm glad he seemed to appreciate my performance, I don't think it's worth getting so excited over, Becca."

"Why not? He'll probably be looking for a dance from you as soon as the presentations are over. I swear he couldn't tear his eyes away from you for a second."

"Rebecca…" Isabella whispered in an admonishing tone. "You know what father would say."

At this, the younger sister's face scrunched up in annoyance and she let out a huff. "I don't care what father has to say. You know as well as I do that we need to stop letting him decide when we get to be happy. We both understand what he wants from us in regards to our future. Why not have a little fun until then? This is a  _king_ we're talking about here!"

Isabella's look spoke volumes about what she was thinking. Rebecca was spritely and enthusiastic, but she was still frightfully young. And, especially in situations like these, that immaturity became even more obvious.

Still, the youngest Catalina had spent hours agonizing over both her and her sister's unfortunate fates. They were the two black sheep of the wealthy and influential family, solely because they weren't born male, and it had placed them in unfair positions. Rebecca didn't really want either her or her sister to be thinking about their father's plans to marry them off against their will just so he could get rid of them, she just wanted them to enjoy the night for what it was.

And to the young teenage girl, refusing the rather obvious attention coming from a young and handsome man who also just so happened to be a prosperous king was downright ridiculous.

The young Cretian women didn't have time to argue about it any longer, because a rather imposing presence approached the two of them, and they each promptly froze.

With wide eyes, Rebecca and Isabella Catalina looked upon the handsome Amestrian king himself, who looked amused by their startled appearances. He stood calm and collected, his posture laid back, yet still strong and proud. The kind smile on his face had both young women nearly in puddles at his feet.

"Sorry to interrupt," the king began in Amestrian, a language both girls spoke fluently. "I hope you weren't busy."

"No, Your Majesty," Isabella answered, her voice shockingly collected, all things considered. "My sister and I were just chatting." Neither Rebecca or Isabella could have known the way the king's heart fluttered at the charming accent the eldest spoke with or the kind smile she flashed him.

"A-ah. I see. Well...that's nice," he replied, the sweat starting to drip down his forehead as the nerves began to bubble up.

Instantly picking up on it, Rebecca had to fight hard to not let a giggle bubble up out of her again. " _He's so cute,"_ she whispered in Cretian, though it was still not quiet enough for Roy not to notice it. Using her comment as a way to relax himself, Roy's smile grew and he turned bemused eyes on the younger of the two sisters.

" _I'm glad you think so,"_ the king responded in perfect Cretian, causing Rebecca's thoroughly pleased face to drain of all color, a mortified expression taking its place.

" _Like you, I was raised in wealth. I know many of the neighboring countries' languages,"_ he continued, becoming more at ease with the situation.

Letting the surprise of being so suddenly approached by a teasing king slowly leave her, Isabella smiled and turned her twinkling eyes on him. "I apologize for my sister, Your Majesty. She doesn't always think before she speaks."

Reverting back to Amestrian, Roy replied charmingly. "I think we all have a little bit of that in ourselves. No harm in it."

Isabella's smile widened, and even despite her immense embarrassment, Rebecca still noticed the way the king melted at the sight.

"I wanted to find you both to tell you how much I enjoyed your performance. You're incredibly talented."

Isabella bowed her head demurely. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Such words from such a prestigious host are an honor to hear."

Rebecca watched curiously as her sister and the Amestrian king held what appeared to be an entire conversation using only their eyes. The younger sister had known as soon as they struck their finishing pose at the end of their performance that King Roy was absolutely bewitched by her elder sister. The attention he was giving her know only helped confirm it even more.

After a moment of silent communication, the king's smile grew and he turned to where the bards were playing an Amestrian jig, encouraging the patrons to flock to the dance floor at the center of the hall. "Are you familiar with this one, Lady Catalina?" he asked.

Isabella's shy smile was enough for an entire battalion of men to fall to their knees, so Rebecca was not shocked to see the effect it had on the Amestrian king. "Yes, I am. I quite enjoy the Amestrian dances...and you don't need to be so formal, Your Majesty. Lady Catalina is my mother's title. I'm just Isabella."

King Roy's smile widened, if that was even possible at this point. "Well then for tonight I'm just Roy, as well. Could I have the honor of your presence on the dance floor, then?" he offered, extending his hand in invitation.

Both Catalina girls' eyes widened at the request, even though it was one they both knew was coming. Still, the gravity of the whole situation was beginning to dawn on Isabella, and Rebecca could see the hesitation beginning to form. She was right in that her father probably wouldn't appreciate her gobbling up the king's attention, but the youngest sister knew her sibling-turned-best-friend couldn't pass this once in a lifetime opportunity up. So, while Isabella no doubt continued her inner debate, Rebecca not-so-gently shoved her forward, sending her a quick and decisive look that spoke volumes of her opinions. Isabella startled at the move, but, after seeing her younger sister's assurances, seemed to make up her mind, taking a step toward the king and moving to delicately place her hand in his.

Before she could though, the king surprised them both by pulling back, a thought ocurring to him. "Actually I have one small request before we go," he commented genially.

Isabella tilted her head. "Oh?"

Roy nodded. "While you proved quite expertly that it made no difference, I'm still sure it would be much easier to dance to such a fast-paced song without that mask covering part of your view."

Rebecca held her smile back. A veiled way for the king to request a full look at her face.

Also picking up on the hidden purpose, Isabella smiled again and moved to untie her elaborate mask from her head. She lowered it slowly, unconsciously dragging out the anticipation the king surely felt. When her beautiful face was finally revealed, she shyly raised her eyes to meet the king's shocked gaze. "Is that better...Roy?"

Breathlessly, he replied, "Much."

Without another word, Isabella took the king's hand, not able to look away from his adoring eyes even as they walked out on the dance floor. Rebecca could tell many other patrons, both Amestrian and Cretian alike, took notice of the pair as they began to move along with all the other dancers.

The younger Catalina sister watched them with rapt attention, feeling an air of excitement bubble up inside of her. As if she needed any more confirmation, now it was painfully obvious how much Isabella had enraptured the Amestrian king. The way he was looking at her as they joyously jigged across the floor revealed every bit of what he was thinking. No one, not even their stuffy father, could deny what was quickly brewing between the two of them.

"They're certainly a sight for sore eyes," an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke from just to the younger girl's right. She gasped and turned to get a look at the stranger who so suddenly brought her attention from her sister and the king. Her eyes widened as they fell upon an admittedly handsome young man, probably around the king's age, with a scruffy mop of dirty blonde hair and a devilish smirk on his face. Despite what would be implied from his statement, Rebecca was shocked to find his attention fixed solely on  _her._

Picking up on her surprise, the man's smirk widened and he slowly looked back at the dancing pair. "I've never seen His Majesty that taken by someone. I'm still amazed he's even out there on the dance floor. The king hates to dance."

Rebecca instantly became torn between her curiosity about this sudden Amestrian stranger and the words he was speaking. For someone who supposedly hated to dance, the king looked the part of a natural out there with Isabella, guiding her along expertly. For Rebecca, it was even more confirmation of his feelings.

"How do you know?" she curiously asked, her face turned toward the center of the hall, but her eyes catching the stranger's from the side.

The man scoffed at that, his hands casually resting in the pockets of his tunic as he leaned against a nearby pillar. "I know the king better than most people around here. I'm his newest First Knight."

Rebecca had to lift an eyebrow at the way the man's chest puffed out slightly as he relayed this information. She couldn't even figure out why...a move to impress her perhaps? He did seem awfully confident, even despite his younger age.

"I see," she replied quietly, turning her eyes back to the dance floor. "Well then that just means I'm as right about this as always."

She heard rather than saw the way the knight's sly smile widened at her words. "Right about what?"

She turned back toward him with a smirk of her own. "My sister doesn't usually dance at parties either, but you should've seen the way she jumped at the king's offer. I think that should tell you enough."

The knight shook his head. "The king woos lots of ladies. What makes you so sure this is different?"

"I'm not completely sure, but, like you with the king, I also know my sister better than anyone. I'd be willing to bet all my father's money on it."

"That so? Well, I'd take you up on that bet if I didn't agree with you. I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Pushing himself off the pillar, the man extended his hand. "Sir Jean Havoc."

Rebecca eyed his offered hand skeptically, before she simply tilted her head politely. "Rebecca Catalina."

Lowering his hand back down with a smirk, knowing all too well what the move meant, Jean shook his head and crossed his arms. "Something tells me we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the future."

The younger Catalina's smile widened, the elaborate plots already forming in her mind. "Here's hoping."

* * *

The air was instantly sucked out of his lungs. His entire body froze as he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. The dried tear stains he noticed on the paper each felt like a dagger stabbing into his chest. Her hopelessness. Her fears. He could feel each of the emotions like all of this was happening to him.

And in a way...it really was.

His best friend eyed him warily, already knowing the story and knowing how it would affect the king. Still, Hughes wasn't really sure what he could do to comfort him. What could anyone do in a situation like this?

As the king processed through Isabella's terrible letter, he found he couldn't pinpoint one emotion to express. Was he sad? Was he angry? Was he shocked? Was he depressed? Did his heart ache? Did he want to ride all the way to Creta and start murdering anyone he could find? He didn't know what to feel. He didn't know what to think. He read the words and reread them until his mind became numb. Finally he let the parchment fall from his hands before collapsing on the chair in his study, Hughes and Havoc both exchanging worried glances at the sight of him.

"How could this be…" he whispered after an eternity, his dark eyes vacant and his body stiff. "H-How... _gods_ , I knew everyone in that family was the scum of the earth but I didn't think...I didn't expect…"

The other men stayed silent, knowing any placating words would be meaningless. The king mumbled more meaningless nothings, the gravity of what had happened dawning on him more and more the longer he thought about it. It was deathly silent for a few minutes before Roy suddenly stood to his feet, his eyes lighting up in barely contained fury.

"Those bastards deserve a punishment worse than anything in this realm," he spoke in a frightfully lethal tone, his fists clenching and beginning to shake with anger.

Knowing he had to do  _something_  before the king let his emotions force him into a situation he would regret, Hughes stepped forward. "You're right, but I think you need to take a minute to think more about this. If you went off and did something dangerous, you'd risk destroying everything."

The words had barely left his mouth before Roy was turning on him. "Everything  _should_  be destroyed!" he exclaimed in a charged voice. "The Cretians have always toyed the line of friend or foe and this pushes them completely over the edge. I have half a mind to go stomping up to King Andres himself and dissolve all our relations!"

"Roy...you have to think rationally."

"Rationally!? Nothing about this is rational, Hughes. You  _know_  what they did to her! They were her family members...her  _brothers_...they deserve to burn in hell. The whole kingdom does!" Roy shouted, barely able to form the words as the reality came crashing down. Unable to contain his anger any longer, he took it out physically on whatever he could find, punching walls and tossing meaningless items to the ground just to watch them shatter like his heart. Hughes and Havoc stayed away, knowing he needed to get some of this out in whatever way he could.

Eventually, with his study now a complete mess, the king stilled, his body leaned over his desk and his breaths coming out in heavy pants. He hung his head as the images of what had transpired began rushing through his mind's eye. They had hurt her, in the worst possible way. They'd beat down the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. They'd taken so much from her right before he was going to give her everything. He felt so lost...so empty.

He couldn't even  _imagine_  how she must feel. And that realization hurt more than anything else.

"She thinks I won't want her anymore," he managed to get out, his voice cracking with emotion. "She thinks she's nothing now."

The silence passed agonizingly long before Hughes eventually spoke up again. "So what are you going to do now?"

The king took a deep breath, and with a shocking amount of resolve given his current emotional state, he answered, "I'm going to find her."

Both the other men turned shocked gazes on their friend before he continued. "She says she and her sister are with people they feel safe around. I'm going to find her and I'm going to bring them back here. If she'll let me, I'm going to make her my queen. Her and Rebecca will be happy here, I'm sure of it."

Hughes and Havoc widened their eyes, knowing the likelihood of all those things actually happening was low, but also knowing there was nothing they could say that would dampen the king's resolve. He could enact his revenge on the Catalina family and the entire kingdom of Creta...or he could love Isabella like he was fully planning to the moment they said 'I do'.

Roy continued. "I know what people will say when they hear what happened, but I don't care. She will never be unworthy of me. If anything, I feel more and more unworthy of her. But I will make her my queen. We will rule Amestris and be happy together and we will damn everyone who caused her harm for the rest of their sad lives. We will experience joy...and they will have none."

Pleased with the way his friend had decided to handle the situation, Hughes nodded his head. "Alright then. We'll get the horses ready. Creta is a long way from here and we got to get you back to the wedding hall in time."

At this, Roy turned gratefully toward the other men, his eyes still frightfully sad, but thankful nonetheless that they would be with him on this. The king stood to his full height and nodded his head. "Let's go find my bride."

* * *

Lady Helena leaned against the doorway of the nursery in the Amestrian castle, looking upon the scene before her with a strange mixture of love and apprehension. With soft steps, she walked up to the quiet form of the Amestrian queen, too busy being entranced by the sight of her sleeping daughter to even acknowledge the older woman.

They both watched the young baby slumbering in her crib, dried tears still evident on her cheeks. She was wrapped in the blanket her Aunt Rebecca had made for her, lulled to sleep by the soft swaying of the trees outside the window.

"I'm surprised you finally managed to get her to stop crying," Helena commented in a whisper, her eyes never leaving the princess.

Isabella smiled softly at that, the exhaustion evident in her eyes. "It wasn't easy, I assure you. My voice is getting sore from singing so many lullaby's."

Helena returned the smile. "Welcome to motherhood."

"It is a beautiful burden," Isabella spoke quietly, placing her arms on the edge of the crib and leaning her head against them to get a better look at her daughter. The love nearly pouring out of the queen's gaze tugged on Helena's heart...

Until the reminder that it was quickly coming to an end stabbed through her like a sword. Her smile falling, she began the conversation she hoped she'd never have. "I just spoke to Marcoh."

At this, Isabella's smile also left her face, but her eyes never strayed from Margaret's snoozing form.

"He told me everything."

It was silent for awhile, as the queen processed what the older woman had told her. Finally, a sarcastic scoff escaped her lips and she shook her head in disbelief. "After all that I've been through...after all the enemies I created...in the end it's my body that betrays me."

The hopeless tone of her voice nearly made the tears itching to spring from Helena's eyes escape and roll down her cheeks. But she held them back. She had to stay strong. Someone needed to.

"Why haven't you told the king?"

Finally sitting up straight, Isabella answered in a discouraged voice. "I don't even begin to know how to tell him. What am I supposed to say? 'You've loved me when no one else would, we've finally found true happiness, and now I'm dying.' I still don't even know what to tell myself, let alone Roy."

"He needs to know Isabella," Helena spoke in a harsh tone, trying to remain the voice of reason she had always been expected to be.

"I  _know_  that!" Isabella exclaimed in a rare outburst of anger. Not giving a thought to the tone of her voice, her eyes widened as Margaret quickly awoke, her all too familiar cries sounding across the nursery. With tears threatening to fall down her own cheeks, the queen rose to her feet and leaned down to pick up her daughter, holding her close and bouncing her in her arms.

With desperate words, Isabella turned back to Helena. "I don't want to leave this, Helena. I don't want to say my goodbyes. I'm just getting to know her, getting glimpses of her personality. She's still so  _so_  young and I just...I want more time," the queen lamented, her hand gently cradling Margaret's head as she cried out, her mother joining in as the tears finally leaked from her eyes. Helena fought harder than ever to keep her own at bay. "And I don't want to leave  _him_. We'd finally done it! After all our troubles and all our mistakes, we were finally settling down. We'd found happiness. Never have I experienced the joy I felt on the day Margaret was born, the moment I showed her to Roy and I saw the wonder in his eyes. Why does it have to go away? Why do  _I_ have to go away?"

Helena remained speechless as Isabella attempted to calm herself down long enough to calm Margaret. She shushed and cooed and rocked like an expert, the young princess's cries finally dying down into soft sniffles as the baby found comfort in her mother's arms. Finally, the Amestrian queen closed her eyes and whispered, " _Mi hija bonita...Mi amor..._ I can't leave them all alone. I don't  _want_ to."

The elder woman's shoulders slumped and she remained silent. She knew what the rational thing to do was, but...there was nothing rational about a long-standing illness taking a young mother from her husband and child after they finally found happiness. It was cruel, everything the former Cretian had been through. For being the least deserving person on the planet, Isabella had been through it all.

And now her time was quickly coming to a close. There was nothing Helena knew to say.

Isabella buried her nose in Margaret's tiny hairs and breathed in deeply, taking in all the sensations she could. "I just want a little longer. Just a little while where I can pretend everything's fine. Then I will tell him."

All the older woman could do was nod her head in agreement. She really couldn't argue with that.

* * *

The King of Amestris had always despised the rain.

He couldn't even quite describe it, but he'd always been averse to the sensation, even when he was a young boy. The fact that it was raining today of all day's only helped reaffirm his hatred.

The young man stared blankly at the small plot in the ground meant to signify his queen's final resting place. He couldn't feel sadness or anger or any other emotion. He was numb to everything...save the rain pelting against his skin, soaking his black clothes.

He didn't even register the sound of footsteps approaching where he stood, his eyes still fixated on Isabella's grave. He didn't notice as Rebecca came to stand beside him, her own empty expression plastered on her face. The pair simply stood under the onslaught, wallowing in their shared misery.

In the distance, Roy could hear Helena making her way back inside, the young Princess Margaret wrapped in a dark blanket to keep her warm and dry, her cries echoing across the castle grounds. Just his luck, she'd spent the entire funeral screaming as loud as her little lungs would allow. No one, not even Helena, attempted to stop her. It was as if the young child knew her mother had finally left her, her cries echoing the general sentiments of the melancholy day.

Rebecca and Roy stood in silence for what felt like hours, simply watching the rain falling on the newly carved stone, reading the simple words over and over. The realization that Isabella was gone dawned on them both more and more the longer they stood there.

It was Rebecca who broke the depressing silence first.

"She would have hated this," were her simple words. The king didn't even attempt to answer her in any way, so she continued. "She would have hated us sitting here and moping. If she were here, she'd already be dragging us back inside to get something done...anything."

"But she's not here," Roy spoke in a dead tone after another bout of silence.

Rebecca didn't bother with a reply.

"She's not here...she never will be again. That part of all of us she shared is gone. It won't ever come back."

At this, Rebecca turned toward her brother-in-law, eyeing him warily. She thought she would take Isabella's death hard, but really she could only imagine the grief Roy was dealing with. Still, it angered her to see him so downtrodden. Isabella had made her sister promise to keep Roy in line...to keep him happy and living. Already the young woman could see it would be a difficult task.

"You're right...but that doesn't mean we have to stop living. I know what Bella told you before she died. She wanted you to press on. She didn't want you wallowing within yourself."

"I know that," the king answered, with the most force he'd been able to manage since Isabella died. "I  _know_  what she said. And maybe someday I'll have the strength to follow her wishes, but today...today the emptiness is the only thing I can think about. I'm terrified it will never go away."

Rebecca tilted her head, able to relate to his feelings scarily well. "Me too," she finally admitted. "I don't know how to even keep going but...I can't let myself forget her. Forget what she meant to me. What she meant to you." Taking a deep, though still shaky, breath, Rebecca continued on, speaking the words she had been thinking since the day Bella passed. "I know it will be the hardest thing I've ever done...but I know I have to keep moving. Bella will never leave us. She's a part of you, she's a part of me...she's a part of Margaret. That part will never go away. All we can hope to do is form new, brighter parts around it. We move on...keep living...keep loving."

And with that, Rebecca heaved a sigh and managed to rip her eyes from her sister's tombstone, leaving the king alone in the rain. She hoped some part of what she said would stick with him. She couldn't even predict the effect it would eventually have…

But she couldn't dwell on it. As she looked up and saw her knight in shining armor, waiting patiently for her in the rain, she knew she had to keep living. She practically ran into Jean's arms, letting him provide whatever measly bit of comfort was possible. A part of her heart ached at the thought that the king didn't even get this anymore. She could find solace in the arms of the man she loved...but Roy...Roy had lost the one he loved.

And Rebecca had to wonder...would he ever be able to find that again?

* * *

_*Years later*_

Roy walked into the sacred shrine room, a single candle lighting only a small portion of what was in front of him. It didn't matter though. He had memorized this path a long time ago.

The nerves grew as he made his way to Isabella's familiar shrine, the last in a long line of them. While he had visited this room countless times in the years since Isabella's death, this time was particularly important. He knew that his deceased wife wasn't really behind the small stone shrine, listening to his every word attentively, but he knew he had to tell her what he had been agonizing over for months. It was a big transition, and whether or not he believed her spirit was still around, she should still be the first to know.

So he kneeled down in front of the shrine and lit the candle, letting the smell of the incense fill the room. A small smile found its way onto his face as he looked at the shriveled up remains of the flower crown Margaret had made for Riza, that she had nervously left there months ago. He had no intent to get rid of them, even as they dried up and died. He remembered the sincerity of the gesture clearly, and it still filled his heart with love.

An even more important reason he was here doing this.

"Hey, there, love...it's been awhile since I've talked to you like this." He always felt silly when he spoke to her shrine, but he still felt it necessary.

"I don't think I've been this scared about talking to you in a long time...probably not since you scolded me in the pond for not moving on all those years ago." He scoffed at that memory. He had never told anyone what Isabella had said to him when he'd went under those mysterious waters, but he could figure most would be able to piece it together. She'd wanted him to continue on with his life. She wanted him to hold on to her, sure, but to not let that stop him from finding happiness and love even after she'd left. It'd taken him years to finally follow her advice, but he figured it was better late than never.

"You will always be a part of me, Isabella. For awhile I thought that meant I could never love if you weren't around. I thought it was selfish of me to ignore your memory for someone else or to hold on to you while only giving someone half of me. I've realized I was wrong about both of those things."

Roy sighed and fished the tiny piece of metal from his tunic pocket. He presented it to the shrine, a soft smile on his face. "I finally bought this today. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with it yet, but I know I needed to have it."

The engagement ring sparkled in the light from the candle, as Roy turned it over in his hands. "I never thought I could love again after you...but Riza changed that. She's everything I could have ever ask for. She's strong, but kind. Beautiful, yet fierce. I love her like I loved you."

The king curled the ring up in his hand and let it fall to his side. "I have so many plans for us. They might be selfish...I don't even know. But I want to make her my queen. I want to rule this kingdom the right way for a change...together. Even though I've never been more sure about anything in my life than how I feel about her...part of me still hesitates.

"I won't ever stop loving you, Isabella. I only hope that Riza understands that. I only hope you do too…"

Roy heaved a long sigh and closed his eyes. "I know you kept telling me to move on and find happiness, so why am I still so unsure? Is it even possible to give what I have to Riza while still holding on to you?"

He opened his eyes, faced only with the sight of an engraved stone slab. He felt even more foolish.

"I still have plans to make...logistics to work out, but I know I want to marry her. I want her to become my queen. I hope this is what you want too…"

Without agonizing over it any longer, Roy sighed one last time, blew out the candle, and stood to his feet, pocketing the ring again. It filled him with a fear unlike any other to think about finally asking Riza to be his wife, to think about telling her the story of how he met and fell in love with Isabella, which he knew would have to happen first. But still...the excitement of leading Amestris with her, not as his token wife, but as his equal, put an extra spring in his step. He'd made heinous mistakes in his time as Amestris' king, stemming from the mess his father had left him, but he'd hoped with someone as kind and fair as Riza on the throne with him...the kingdom could finally be what it had always been destined to be.

And he could find the happiness he'd had with Isabella once more...a task he once thought impossible.

No point in dwelling on it further...he had work to do.

* * *

_*Present day*_

The king's hands nearly shook as he finished pouring out his heart, swaying on a boat in the middle of East Lake. He'd been putting off this conversation for almost as long as he and Riza'd been reunited, so to finally have it off his chest was world-changing. Mustering up his last bit of courage, he managed to lift his eyes to the queen, curious what her thoughts were on...all of this.

He found her looking at him with a shockingly unreadable expression. He couldn't quite tell if the story gave her sympathy for him...or just plain upset her. She was silent as he finished, seemingly mulling over what he had told her with great thought. To try and steady himself, he reached forward and gently grasped her hand, attempting to convey the last of his sincerity through his eyes and his actions.

"I know it's a lot to take in...it's something I've struggled to come to terms with for years. Really, I hadn't started moving on right up until you came rushing back into my life. It was perfect timing."

Again, Riza remained quiet, her mouth in a thin line and her expression unchanging. Roy had yet to figure out whether that was a good thing or not.

"I wanted to tell you all of this for a number of reasons...but really the most important one is that...Isabella was an incredibly large part of my life for so long. She changed everything, both in life and in death. To love you like I do without telling you about her seemed wrong."

Her face softening a bit, Riza managed a small nod, her eyes meeting his once more. It gave the king enough encouragement to continue on. If he thought telling her that story was hard...he couldn't even imagine how difficult this next part would be.

Reaching forward, his fingers slipped underneath the neckline of the queen's dress, grasping at the familiar silver chain. He pulled the necklace out from where it always rested, hidden beneath the fabric of her expensive dresses, and let it rest naturally on her chest. Her eyes widened slightly at the move, but he continued on nonetheless. "I didn't give you this lightly, Riza. I'm sure you already could guess that it was once worn by Isabella, as proudly as you wear it now."

The king picked up on the way she tensed at that knowledge, her eyes leaving his as she pondered this. "When I gave this to you, I meant it that I thought we could have a future together. We've had a rough go at it, but I feel now is the best time for this…"

Roy's nerves increased, especially as he watched realization come across the queen, her eyes widening in surprise. "You asked me why I would give Aerugo such a small portion of the treaty, and I told you there was a reason, but I couldn't explain it to you just yet. Well, now is the time for that explanation.

"It was wrong of me to make assumptions, and I'm glad we came to an agreement about that, but I still stand by my original intentions. I never wanted to make you feel less than me, or dishonor your kingdom and what you and your family have built. My mind at the time was only thinking ahead. It wasn't that I didn't want you to have success in Aerugo...it was that I wanted you to look forward to the success you could have here in Amestris."

Riza's eyes widened further, and the king knew she was beginning to understand what was happening. Still, apart from the shock, she gave no indication what her thoughts were, and that scared Roy more than anything. Still, he continued on.

"You are a formidable and passionate ruler, Riza. I love you for a million reasons that don't involve your abilities as a queen, but my admiration for you is still there, nevertheless. We've always been great together, and I can see us being great for years and years to come."

"R-Roy…" she finally voiced shakily. The king was too overcome with what he had to say to pick up on the way she was seemingly trying to slow down the words coming from his mouth.

The king was far from over, though.

"I've made some mistakes in my time as Amestris' ruler. Even with a queen by my side, I was young and foolish and really could have hurt the kingdom my ancestors worked so hard to build. But with you, I have no fear of that. In fact, I get excited thinking of what we could be.

"You make me happy, Riza. A part of me will always belong to Isabella, but I hope you know that a part of me now always rests with you. That won't ever change. And with your strength and wisdom, we could have a future unlike any other. So with that...I have one question for you."

The queen's entire body froze and her eyes stayed wide in shock as Roy grabbed the ring in his pocket and presented it to her. Riza made no moves at the sight of it, already knowing this was his intention as he spoke in a shaky voice, "I want to make you my queen, not just with my love, but with a title too. I think you and I could rule Amestris unlike any others, and I truly can't imagine my future without you. Will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?"

Silence enveloped the both of them as the boat continued to rock along the small waves. Roy held his breath as Riza's wide eyes alternated between his unsure gaze and the ring he was holding out to her. In his excitement, he was blinded by the uncertainty overtaking her, of the scared look in her eyes and the way her mouth opened and closed, struggling to find the right words.

But he didn't care about any of that...he only needed her answer.

Finally, after an agonizingly long time and an internal debate Roy couldn't have even guessed the true nature of, Riza's body stilled and her eyes stayed on his own before she whispered in a terrified voice…

"Y-Yes."


	15. Chapter 15

Queen Riza felt like she was going to vomit.

She was pacing around the small sitting room that connected both her and her sister's guest bedrooms in the Amestrian castle, unsure whether she was more queasy, exhausted, or wired. She couldn't slow down her worried steps but she also could barely stand upright. It felt like the world around her was spinning as she walked across the room, her mind moving twice as fast as her body.

She had agreed to marry the Amestrian king. Roy had asked her to be his wife and she had said yes. She signed up to become the next Queen of Amestris.

She was sure she was about to vomit.

It wasn't that she didn't... _want_  to do any of those things or that the idea of marrying Roy was disgusting. Quite the contrary, she had fantasized about this moment for as long as she'd been back in Amestris, possibly even longer. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about herself in a pristine white gown, walking down an aisle of a room filled with her friends, and seeing her king staring lovingly at her from the front of it. She'd pictured the coronation, standing on the balcony upstairs waving out at the Amestrian citizens with a gold crown placed atop her head. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about any of those things…

It was just that...now that all of it was actually happening...it felt far too rushed and far too unlike her dreams.

When Roy had presented the ring to her, the one she was wearing right now even as it nearly burned a hole in her skin, she'd been as speechless as a human being could be. Her mind raced as he proposed, not even the slightest bit prepared for it. She was glad he'd finally told her the story of his late wife. She'd always had so many questions about Isabella, and had agonized about her own role in Roy's life, given everything he had been through with the old queen. She was happy they'd finally gotten that on the table.

But for him to immediately propose afterward? That was something Riza hadn't been ready for in the slightest. She didn't know how to explain to him everything that she was thinking. She didn't know how she could make him understand. After pouring out his heart and professing his love and his plans, there was no way she could attempt to get across what she was worried about, because he'd only see it as a flat out rejection.

So, against her better judgement, she'd given him a shaky yes.

She wasn't ready to abandon her throne and take on a new one, and while she certainly trusted that Roy was serious about making her his equal, she knew it would be a difficult adjustment for both of them to try and rule an entire kingdom perfectly in sync, without any conflicts or feelings of inadequacy on both sides. She wanted more for them than this. She wanted more for herself.

With all the questions running through her mind, there were still a few things she was absolutely certain on. First, she would not, under any circumstance, hand over her kingdom to Matthew or whoever else without looking back. She owed it to her people, to her family and her friends, to do better than that. She'd made a vow when she'd been crowned. She would not abandon Aerugo, she would always fight for them. She couldn't do that if she became the Queen of Amestris. Second, she loved Roy fiercely. She  _wanted_  to marry him, a decision she'd made months ago, surprising even herself. She'd always sworn away the ideas of love and marriage, but Roy had taught her she could have that kind of happiness and still remain a formidable ruler.

So where did those things leave her now? How could she possibly get across to Roy that she wanted to marry him...eventually...but if they were going to do it they needed to slow down and figure out a solution that would work for them both. She would  _not_  just become the Queen of Amestris without another thought, just so his own plans would be realized. She trusted him in some ways, but on this she would not budge.

The difficult part came in conveying that to him someway, made all the more challenging by the fact that she'd told him yes without a single qualm or query.

A foolish mistake, if there ever was one.

She continued her pacing, desperately trying to come up with some kind of plan that didn't irreversibly damage her relationship with Roy and also got across her concerns. So far she was coming up completely empty, and her stomach was roiling at the thought.

Before she could dwell on it any longer, the door to the sitting room was flung open and Riza swiveled to find her sister paused in the doorway, still wearing her grimy work clothes and looking just as surprised as Riza felt. Once again, in all her agonizing over her own problems, she'd momentarily forgotten what should have been at the forefront of her mind.

It had been weeks and Winry had hardly spoken two words to her.

Even now, as the sisters stood frozen, staring at one another in shock, they said nothing. Riza wasn't even sure what she  _could_  say. She'd attempted to get Winry to talk about everything that had been going on, but her younger sibling was still mostly keeping to herself. She'd work in the blacksmith's shop all day, eat meals away from everyone else, then retreat to her bed to wake up and do it all again. The fact that Riza was seeing her before the sun went down was practically a miracle.

"W-Winry…" she finally spoke in a shaky voice. Her hands began fidgeting together, and unconsciously the queen started spinning the brand new ring around her finger. "How are you...uh...what have you...well...I-," Riza continued, unsure what to even ask at this point. She figured keeping it casual would feel too ingenuine. She couldn't just start asking her younger sister how her day had gone when she'd angrily been refusing to speak to her for weeks now.

At the queen's unsure words, Winry finally sighed, moving through the doorway and closing it behind her. She tossed her work bag on the couch and approached her elder sister with a resigned look on her face. Again, they stayed silent. Riza still didn't know if it was appropriate to speak and inwardly cursed at the way things had become. Since when was she scared to talk to her little sister?

She continued her fidgeting, mindlessly not giving a thought to anything...until her sister's eyes drifted down to her hands, caught sight of something, paused, then immediately widened and flashed back to her own.

With a disbelieving look, Winry quickly asked, "What the hell is that?"

Still dwelling on the uncertain status of their relationship, Riza was confused by the question. "What is...what?"

With an exasperated huff, Winry surprised the queen by angrily reaching for her sister's hand and lifting it in front of her face, so she could get a perfect few of the glistening engagement ring resting on her fourth finger. Riza's eyes proceeded to widen in realization and the thought that this had suddenly become a completely different conversation.

"I-Is this...is this an  _engagement_  ring?" the princess asked in an awe-filled tone.

Knowing there was no way to talk herself out of this one, the queen sighed and lowered her hand. "It's...a long and very complicated story." Avoiding Winry's gaze, the queen couldn't help but leave it at that. The last time they'd properly talked, her sister had accused the queen of only thinking about herself and her own problems. Perhaps this wasn't the time to deal with this particular issue. Part of her figured Winry wouldn't even want to.

That part was horrifically wrong.

Still in shock, Winry forcefully grabbed her sister's arm and yanked them both down to the couch, her gaze turning accusatory.

"If that's what I think it is, it's a story I'd like to hear. Spill it!"

Riza's eyes widened. "I-I thought you were sick of hearing about all my problems. You said I always selfishly focus on myself."

The queen appreciated the fact that Winry took the time to heave a steadying breath, seemingly preventing herself from completely blowing up at her sister. Once she had somewhat calmed herself she turned her sharp blue eyes back on Riza. "Fighting with your king boyfriend about meaningless crap is one thing...getting  _engaged_  is completely different. Did Roy actually propose? How long ago did this happen? Why didn't you  _tell_ me?"

Still completely taken aback by the desperate tone of her sister's demands, Riza managed to shake away a bit of her flustered feelings before attempting to sort all this out. "To answer each of your questions...yes, Roy did propose."

Winry's mouth gaped open in a strange mixture of disbelief, elation, and frustration at having not been told. The queen continued on, hoping to prevent being further incriminated. "To answer your second, about...two hours ago. And to your third, I think answer number two should explain it well enough."

That seemed to slow down a bit of the princess's anger, but she still huffed and shook her head in disbelief. "You're kidding me...I mean I knew you and the king were thinking something like that would happen but I just didn't expect it so suddenly."

Momentarily forgetting herself, the queen scoffed and mumbled to herself, "You and me both."

Winry's eyes sharpened at the comment and she lifted an eyebrow at her sister. "For someone who just got engaged, you seem awfully...sullen."

Riza appreciated the softening of the word her sister no doubt was going to use. Still, the queen knew she wasn't prepared to talk with her sister about what she was really feeling...especially since she still hadn't completely sorted it all out herself. So, she attempted to straighten herself up and appear more gleeful.

She should've known it'd be a lost cause.

"What are you talking about?" she let out breathlessly, a fake smile appearing on her face. "I'm ecstatic! I-It's what I've always wanted. Now Roy and I don't have anything to hide. We can be together, as the King and Queen of... _Amestris_ ," she bit out, the words sounding horrifically fake even to her own ears.

Winry merely rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What, pray tell, is wrong?" the princess asked in an almost bored tone.

Riza again fidgeted with her hands, the engagement ring looking out of place on her long, thin fingers. Her eyes inevitably drifted from the glittering piece of jewelry to her signet ring, the one that had been placed there by the former King of Aerugo himself, when he'd handed her the kingdom. The contrast of the two rings would have been comedic had the situation not been so serious. She had the two representations of the separate parts of her life pulling her in opposite directions resting on either of her ring fingers. Even her hands were mocking her at this point.

The queen let out a shaky breath. "You should know what's wrong, Winry."

The princess nodded her head. "I do know what's wrong, but I think you need to say it out loud, Riza."

The queen shouldn't have been surprised at how well her younger sibling could read her, but her eyes still widened before she relented and took another deep breath to steady herself. "Gods, you should've heard the things he was saying, Winry," she spoke in a small voice. "About how all of his 'plans' would be realized, about how great we would be together, ruling Amestris as it became more successful than it ever has been. I wanted to share in his excitement, but...the more he talked, the more terrified I became. Just the amount of times he used the words 'I' or 'me' should have been enough for me to bring him down from his cloud in the skies."

It was silent a moment as the princess processed her elder sister's words. Eventually she spoke in a voice far wiser than her age would suggest, "And yet, you have a giant, sparkling ring on your finger."

Riza shook her head. "I panicked. I had been waiting to tell Roy all of my thoughts on the manner until I could give him a fair solution. I haven't figured one out yet...and he went and caught me off guard. I couldn't possibly tell him everything I'm thinking. Not after…what he told me." The queen thought about sharing the part where Roy talked about Isabella, but held herself back. At the very least she could keep that between the two of them.

Mimicking her own emotions, Winry heaved another weighted sigh, continuing to shake her head in disbelief, this time more at what her sister had done rather than the news of the proposal itself. "So you just...said nothing? Riza, do you want to know the last time a blinded ruler waxed poetic about how 'great' of a kingdom he would lead if a woman was by his side?"

The queen couldn't help the small wince at the reminder. She had been trying to tell herself that Roy's intentions were far more well-meaning than what Sergio's had been with Winry...but the similarity of the sentiments was uncanny...and terrifying. "I know, Winry. Trust me, I've been sitting here for the last few hours about ready to puke every time I think about it. And I can't stop thinking about it."

"You have to tell him, Riza. You can't just let him keep thinking you're going to live happily ever after when you're feeling this way. If you don't want to marry him, you need to tell him no."

The queen wished it was that easy. Really and truly she did.

"I can't, Winry. At least not right away. I need to figure some things out first, that way I can make it more of a compromise than a flat out rejection."

The princess huffed. "What's the point of waiting if you're just going to tell him no?"

"That's just it, though!" The queen exclaimed, beginning to become frustrated as more of her deepest and darkest thoughts were being brought to the surface. "I don't want to tell him no. I  _do_ want to marry him."

Winry paused at that, her face scrunching up in confusion. "Riza, you're not making any sense. Do you want to become the Queen of Amestris or not?"

Her frustrations continuing to grow, Riza let out a huff of her own and stood to her feet, spinning to look back at her sister. "I  _don't_  want to become the Queen of Amestris, but I  _do_  want to marry Roy."

Winry rolled her eyes at this. "Then what are you going to be the Queen of? Makebelieveland? You are the ruler of Aerugo, he is the ruler of Amestris. If you're going to get married, one of you has to give  _something_ up."

Her sister having finally revealed, even unknowingly, the heart of Riza's intentions, the queen's body stiffened and her face hardened in resolve. "No," she spoke in a low tone as she shook her head. "No, it doesn't have to be that way. I'm sure of it. We can be happy together without having to hand off either of our kingdoms. We can make it work!"

Here, Winry's eyes again narrowed suspiciously. "Is that your great plan? Is that the  _solution_  you're working toward? How long are you going to string Roy along before you figure nothing out and he's standing alone at an alter somewhere?"

"Do you really have such little faith in me? What is it with everyone and their black and white solutions to things? Compromise isn't always impossible."

Riza could tell Winry caught the dig for what it was...a greater lead into a different conversation. Her younger sister avoided her gaze and remained silent, knowing where this was going immediately. "Is it really so hard to believe I could figure something out? I love Roy enough to not just blindly give him everything he wants or to take everything for myself. That's what marriage is all about. The give and take."

Again the princess remained silent, though her face's hard edge seemed to falter a bit. "Look at us, Winry. We're only creating trouble adamantly sticking to our own sides, while our men do the same. You've been miserable for weeks now because you and Ed can't compromise. I don't want to find myself in the same situation. You're justified in what you think, but then again so is he. You're both sticking to what you believe only for yourself and look at how far that's gotten you."

Winry's eyes flashed back to her sister at that comment, though the fire was gone from them. This was the most her younger sister had been willing to listen to since all of this started, and Riza would take advantage of it. Yes, she was in a puddle of mud the size of her whole kingdom, but that didn't stop her from what she believed. She could find a solution. So could her sister.

"We're both stuck in piles of utter...horse shit until we can think of something that works for everyone. You can't expect to get married thinking you'll never change."

The princess's eyes continued to hold her sister's gaze for a while as they stood in silence. The queen was just waiting for the rebuttal, but shockingly it never came. All Riza got was a defeated sigh before Winry turned to look at the wall, seemingly mulling over all that had been said.

Eventually, Riza sat back down on the couch, placing a comforting hand on her sister's thigh. Winry then scoffed and shook her head, though the queen still caught the beginnings of tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Ed and I are never going to make it. We're both too stubborn."

Despite everything, the queen couldn't help but let out a soft smile. "You're a complete idiot if you think that's even remotely true."

"We're both idiots...you and I."

The sisters' eyes met again and they exchanged far more than could be put into words. Riza nodded her head. "Seems so. But we're both going to stay miserable if we don't do anything. And by gods, we'll be even  _more_  miserable if we just concede to everything the men in our lives want."

Winry nodded in agreement and then spoke in a whispered voice. "Do you really think Ed and I can make up? I've never gone this long without speaking to him, in some form or another. I kept thinking we had gone past the point of no return."

The vulnerability in the princess's tone told the queen everything she needed to know about what she'd been thinking these last few weeks. Winry put on the tough and angry front to protect herself but Riza knew this was really where she was at emotionally. She'd thought she'd ruined everything, so she closed herself off to numb the pain.

Riza knew all about how that worked.

"There's no such thing with the two of you. Just look at how awful you've both felt these past few weeks. If you thought  _you_ were miserable, you should've seen the way Ed moped into dinner every night."

Winry let out a choked laugh that was anything but humorous.

"I'm serious...it was like his whole world had fallen apart. And really, it had. I know he's sorry, but, like you, he's not sure if it can be atoned. I think you've both gone long enough holding on to your grudges."

Winry nodded her head in agreement as the tears finally leaked out of her eyes and she leaned into Riza's waiting arms. The band of her engagement ring still burned a hole in her skin, but she pushed the sensations aside. Getting to see this side of her sister for the first time in so long was something she would not overshadow. She and Roy certainly had their own issues to work through, especially as the queen would try and keep this incredible secret from him for the time being, but she knew her sister would continue to wallow if something wasn't done with her and Ed.

Being a shoulder to cry on when boys drove you nuts was exactly what big sisters were for.

The pair stayed like that for a long time, as Winry's cries eventually died down and her elder sister rocked her in her arms. It wasn't until a decisive knock sounded on their combined sitting room door did they pull apart.

"Come in," the queen called as Winry dried her eyes with a handkerchief delicately handed over to her by Riza. The queen had to hold back the feelings of dread that washed over her when she saw the figure that walked through the door.

"Oh...Winry, I wasn't expecting to see you," the king said as he shut the door behind him and walked to where the sisters were sitting somewhat cautiously.

Flashing Riza a quick look, Winry attempted to abate the last of her tears as she wiped her face clean and turned her eyes toward Roy. "Yeah, sorry about that. I've been...a bit difficult to find these last few weeks."

Relaxing a bit at the small smile she managed for him, the king continued. "That's understandable."

Winry merely gave a slight shake of her head before answering, "It's really not. Thankfully, Riza's been able to help with that."

The appreciative glance the princess shot her sister spoke of far more than mere thanks. Already Winry was putting up barriers to try and help the queen. Riza's affirmative look in return allowed the princess to know how to best continue this conversation, given everything that had just been revealed.

The queen missed the relieved look Roy shot her as he replied, "Really? That's  _very_ good to hear."

Winry smiled again sheepishly before composing herself and, after another go ahead nod from Riza, stood to her feet. "Not as good to hear as what Riza just told me," she began, letting more excitement, however genuine, seep into her tone. "I suppose I should be calling you my future brother-in-law now, huh?"

The king's eyes immediately flashed to the queen's, who gave a small shrug. "You didn't waste any time, I see."

Winry could tell it was forced, but she commended her sister for managing the reassuring smile, all the same. "It's difficult to keep something like that from her for too long."

Roy's smile was beaming. "Yes, I suppose so. It's true, I look forward to having you as my sister-in-law. Gods know you'll be far more tolerable than my last one."

Winry returned the smile and surprised them all by wrapping her arms around the king. "Congratulations. You're getting one of the best."

Roy returned the hug and a part of Riza's heart twinged at the sight. She wished she could enjoy it more than she was. "I couldn't agree more," the king replied, his expression warm and full of love. Winry's own expression almost faltered at the sight of it. Riza just knew what was running through her mind.

The trio lapsed into silence after that, as the king found himself apparently overcome with love and emotion to say anything while the sisters watched him with varying degrees of uncertainty. Finally choosing to be nice and save her sister any more pain, Winry straightened up and spoke, "Well, I probably should go and take a bath. Leave you two love birds alone to talk. When I'm done we can speak to the servants about bringing in tonight's dinner."

At this, Riza's expression became confused. "Dinner?" she asked.

Winry's eyes twinkled and she nodded. "Mmhmm. An occasion like this calls for a sister sleepover. It's been awhile since we've had one of those. I can even see if the cook will make us that hot chocolate drink she showed us the other day."

"O-oh, I suppose that would be alright," the queen replied, thoroughly startled by her sister's sudden plans. She was too taken aback to even notice the disappointed look cross the king's face.

"Perfect! I'll be out once I'm clean!" the princess spoke with a newfound resolve, gathering up the work bag she'd had with her and dashing into her bedroom, closing the door with a decisive slam. Riza and Roy could merely blink in surprise at her sudden exit.

Finally, the queen was brought out of her shock by Roy's put upon sigh. He walked over to where she sat and nearly pulled her right to her feet, wrapping his arms possessively around her waist. Any other time, Riza would have melted, but now it just felt strange.

"That's a shame. I came here hoping to pull you away for the night. You did promise me we'd pick up where we left off earlier," he spoke in a husky tone, his lips ghosting across the queen's.

Steadying herself, she managed a smile for him. "To be fair I never said one way or another. I believe the exact word I used was 'perhaps'."

"Don't be such a tease. You know it drives me insane."

"What better reason do I have?" she countered, before his lips captured hers decisively. Even with her roiling emotions, she couldn't deny how warm all of his kisses made her.

When he finally pulled away, Riza had to catch her breath, and for the thousandth time since she'd known the king, she cursed him for the spell he put her under. No wonder she had agreed to marry him, if he was this persuasive.

She inwardly grimaced at the reminder as soon as it appeared in her mind. Bad time to bring it up, she thought to herself.

"Well, I'm still glad to see you and Winry getting along. I take it you had the time to talk to her a little bit?"

With his arms still wrapped around her waist, Riza attempted to relax as she placed her palms decisively on his chest before nodding her head. "Yes, it seems my ring was enough of a starting point for a good conversation. I think we'll be getting back to how things were before. And hopefully Ed and Winry will be able to come to an agreement."

"They better," Roy spoke in a low voice. "I'm all the more invested in all of that knowing she's going to be my sister-in-law. Ed better get himself together soon otherwise I might need to have a talk with him."

Riza had to work hard to not roll her eyes. "Don't go all alpha male on me now, Roy. Let them handle it themselves. I think they both need to work through some things, especially given how close their wedding is."

The king tilted his head, conceding her wishes. "Alright, fine. Hard to believe how close it's getting. You think it's still on?"

Finally, the queen's smile was genuine. "Yes, I'm quite sure."

"Good. Better to get their wedding out of the way so we can focus on our own," the king spoke proudly, leaning down to place a small peck on Riza's lips. She tried not to let her face falter at the reminder. He was so excited, it would be increasingly difficult to put on a show of her own happiness. Gods how she wanted to share in the joy. She certainly needed to figure everything out sooner rather than later, at the very least for her own sanity.

Letting out a small laugh she hoped didn't sound too nervous, she finally replied, "Don't get too ahead of yourself. It's not like we can elope tomorrow. You know as well as I do royal weddings are not the easiest things to plan. And I'm still working on Ed and Winry's."

The groan that passed through his lips made the king sound far younger than his almost thirty years would suggest. "I'm well aware we'll have to wait. That won't stop me from dreaming of an elopement so I can whisk you away for an extended honeymoon on the southern beaches, though."

Again, his lips teased around hers and despite all the problems swirling through her brain, she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of contentment. "The southern beaches, huh? That sounds nice," she spoke truthfully.

Roy's childlike smile turned into a devilish smirk. "It does, doesn't it? Clear skies, blue waters, sand between our toes as we make love on every surface available."

At the last bit, the queen let out an uncharacteristic giggle as she lightly punched Roy's arm. He certainly was getting ahead of himself, though Riza couldn't deny how delightful it all sounded.

How much easier their lives could have been had they not been rulers of separate kingdoms.

She shook her head and attempted a more serious look. "That all sounds incredible, but we have work to do first."

Roy rolled his eyes and gave the queen one last peck. "I know, I know. You don't always have to be such a moodkiller," he teased, earning himself another punch, this one with a bit more force behind it. He let his arms fall from her waist and massaged the spot she had hit as he spoke in an overly-dramatic and put-upon tone, "I'll let you and Winry have your girl's night, but we will finish what we started sooner rather than later, alright?"

Now it was Riza's turn to roll her eyes. "Whatever you say."

And with one final smirk, the king was out the door of the sitting room, leaving Riza to stew in the silence. She really wished she could be honest with him. They'd been engaged for not even a few hours and it was already excruciatingly difficult to lie about her feelings on everything. Perhaps if she put her nose to the grindstone over the next few weeks she could finalize all her far-off dreams into an actual plan.

She dramatically flopped back down on the couch knowing she was finally alone and wouldn't be judged. She heaved a long sigh and let her hand fall over her eyes. She could already feel a headache beginning to form.

Not another moment had passed before the door to Winry's bedroom flew back open and her sister stood at the end of the couch, her arms crossed. With a heavy finality to her tone, she spoke the obvious, "You are in deep trouble, my sister."

* * *

Ed's soaked hair clung to his skin and his breaths came out in long pants. He leaned against the large tree that provided refuge over part of the familiar pond in the castle gardens. The overhanging branches only managed to provide some shelter from the rain, and he could still feel the droplets hitting his drenched clothes. He could barely see two feet in front of him, let alone the rest of the pond as the sun had set hours ago. Once again, the young knight found himself running from his problems.

He sighed and leaned his head back against the scratchy bark of the trunk, his eyes closing against the shower. As much as he tried, the persistent words of his younger brother rang through his mind as clearly as if he was standing right next to him. The conversation he'd just run from was playing on repeat in his mind's eye.

" _It's too late, Alphonse. If we haven't managed to do anything for weeks, what makes you think she's just going to sit and listen to me apologize?"_

" _Come on, Ed. You can't tell me that you of all people have given up already? You know Winry still loves you just as much as you love her."_

_Ed closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Did he know that? Because from his standpoint it seemed as though his fiance was ready to give him the silent treatment for the rest of their lives. The closer their supposed wedding date got, the more and more discouraged Edward became. The few times he'd mustered the courage to try and track Winry down he'd come up empty. People kept telling him she'd been spending a lot of time at the blacksmith's shop, but the few times he'd gone there with his tail between his legs seeking forgiveness, she'd been gone. And he certainly wasn't just going to waltz up to her bedroom to talk to her. Not when her sister was still around._

_His brother's pleas for him to stop being an idiot and make-up were all well and good, but Ed was already way ahead of him, the weeks of introspective self-loathing combined with his strange conversation with Emperor Ling had given him enough resolve to try and atone for the things he'd said, but he'd been having plenty of difficulties doing so._

" _Al, she probably hates my guts. I told her she doesn't have a place in our family! I actually said that to her face. What kind of self-respecting person would love a scumbag who'd say something like that, let alone a princess."_

 _His brother sighed, looking more annoyed than angry. Ed for one was glad at least_ he  _was still willing to talk to him, given how he'd been avoiding his younger sibling for almost as long as he'd been avoiding Winry. The older of the two brothers had been shocked when Alphonse related that his own feelings on the matter meant nothing compared to their relationship. Alphonse had told him that they could disagree all they want, but that didn't take away from their brotherhood._

_The same could be said for his relationship with Winry, too._

_But it had gotten to the point that Ed didn't really give a damn about his own opinions. It would be difficult to ever think of his father as anything but a deadbeat. He was sure he'd never manage to forgive him, but that didn't change the relationship he could have with Al...or Winry, for that matter._

_Al's decisive sigh brought the moping knight out of his depressing thoughts. "Give me a break, Ed. I know you know Winry better than I do, and I'm sure without a shadow of a doubt that she's been missing you just as much as you've been missing her. You're both being idiots letting this drag on. Do you want to marry her?"_

" _Of course I do, Al." What kind of question even was that? His thoughts on their upcoming nuptials had never changed, not even when they were having the original argument._

" _Then why are you sitting here feeling sorry for yourself? If you really love her as much as I know you do, you'd be fighting tooth and nail to get her back. She's not that scary."_

_Ed's eyes widened at his brother's impassioned words before they darted to the side and he let out a huff. "Easy for you to say. You haven't seen her when she's at her most terrifying."_

" _Brother," Al admonished in a tone that made him seem like the oldest by a decade, rather than the youngest by a year._

_Still avoiding his brother's knowing stare, Ed moved to where his cloak was haphazardly flung over a chair before wrapping it decisively around his shoulders. "I need some time to think about it."_

_Alphonse let out an uncharacteristic huff of anger. "You've had weeks to think about it, Ed."_

_Turning his back to him without another look, Ed waved away his words. "I know, I know. I still just need...time." And with that, the older of the brothers was out the door of their bedroom, his feet noisily clunking down the dark hallways, his brother's calls falling on deaf ears._

And so now here he was, having just trudged through the rain to his favorite spot in the gardens, only to feel as miserable as he'd been before, knowing he was being stupid for dragging this all out. What was holding him back? He wanted to apologize but...he was still scared. Of what, he wasn't even sure. He'd already had experience fighting decisive battles against formidable enemies, but asking his fiance for forgiveness was quickly becoming the most terrifying thing in his life.

He supposed he was just...afraid of making things worse.

The gods weren't willing to give him much more time to think about it, though.

"I guess I'm not the only one who likes to hide." A familiar voice suddenly sounded over the rainfall, causing Ed's golden eyes to snap open in shock.

There, standing barely two feet away from him, clothed in her night robe and a thin cloak and looking not half as angry as he'd imagined, was the love of his life.

He watched in wonder as she flashed him a small and weary smile.

"W-Winry," he breathed out in a shaking voice.

"Hey, Ed," she whispered back, and, if possible, Ed's eyes widened even more.

"W-what are you...h-how did you...w-hat is…" he trailed off, finding it incredibly difficult to string any words together.

Winry took a step toward him, also not giving a care to the rain soaking through her hair and her clothes. "We're more alike than we thought. I like to come here to be alone too." Surprising him even more, she let out a small scoff and shook her head. "I've been looking for you for the past couple of days without success and now here you are when I want to be by myself. The gods really do have senses of humor."

The knight was speechless as he watched the princess take yet another step toward him, that small smile still on her face. He had a million things he wanted to say and yet not a single one was able to pass through his lips.

"Well, I suppose since we're both here there's no point in putting this off any longer."

A stone dropped into Ed's stomach and he shook his head as he muttered, "W-Winry...wait."

"I'm sorry it took me so long," she continued on, and the knight began to become desperate to figure out a way to stop what he just knew she was going to say. He didn't want this to be the end. He needed to apologize before he let her stomp him into the mud beneath their feet.

"N-no…" he managed to get out, the words still not forming on his tongue as he inwardly cursed his own incompetence and stupidity.

"Ed...I just wanted to tell you that-,"

Finally finding the key to the floodgates, Ed's hands reached out in front of himself, shielding him from the princess's encroaching form. "Wait Winry!" he shouted in a panicked voice, and finally she stopped, her own eyes widening in surprise.

"P-please...you have to let me…"

At his pleas, Winry's face furrowed in confusion and an ounce of growing frustration. "Ed, no, I need to tell you-"

"NO! I need to tell  _you_  something first."

The princess's frustration turned to anger as she placed her hands decisively on her hips and tried to get close to Ed before he backed away again. "You're not even going to let me talk?"

The knight's head of soaked golden hair furiously shook at her words. "No, please, just let me say my piece and I promise you can talk all you want."

Her annoyance was eerily familiar, though the fear growing inside of Ed was still unrelenting. She crossed her arms and lifted her brows in a silent acceptance of his wishes. He was glad she'd at least give him this time. Gods knew he had wasted so much of it already.

Before he could talk himself out of any of this, he plopped his knees onto the muddy ground with a loud splash. Winry's face turned from friendly annoyance to utter shock as she watched him, her arms falling quietly to her side. His hands slapped together in a prayer stance and he forced himself to keep his eyes sincere and locked with hers.

"Winry…" he began, even as she started to regard him like the villagers with the town lunatic. "I know I don't even deserve to be at your feet right now, you shouldn't even have to listen to me after everything I've done and all the terrible things I've said...but I needed you to hear these words directly from me."

The princess's shock faded as she realized what he was doing, however dramatically, and she began to shake her head. "Ed, you don't have to-"

"Yes," he cut her off decisively. "Yes, I do. I know I'm the biggest idiot on the face of the planet for saying what I did, and I know it's impossible to even imagine you'd forgive me, but I still want you to hear an apology. I'm so,  _so_ sorry, Winry. I should have never said any of those things. I should have never cast aside your opinion. I was being selfish, but I'd never be able to live with myself if I didn't apologize."

His face blushed crimson as he finished, but he tried to put all his sincerity into each of his words. This was crazy, all of this, but he loved this woman before him so damn much and knew she deserved far better than what he could give. Finally saying all that he needed to, he hung his head as he prepared for the onslaught.

It was deathly silent a moment as he waited, the rain continuing to pour through the holes in the intertwined branches, before she finally spoke. "You're right," she began in a low voice, and Ed instinctively closed his eyes as he readied himself. "You  _are_ an idiot."

Before Ed even knew what was happening, the sound of her own knees plopping into the mud rang through his ears before his eyes widened and he dared to lift his head.

What he saw completely took his breath away.

There, at the corners of her beautiful cerulean eyes, were tears threatening to fall and Ed's heart instantly tugged at the sight. She blinked them away and shook her head, her mouth smiling perfectly at him. "You dummy," she spoke in a choked voice. "You didn't even let me apologize first."

Ed's eyes widened more than they'd ever had at her words. In a mud-covered, blonde blur, she launched herself into his arms, her body falling into his like it was made to do nothing else. As she buried her face in his shoulder, he could feel the tears finally spill over down her cheeks and onto his already soaked tunic. "What do you think you're doing claiming I could never forgive you? What's to forgive, when I'm the one who should be on my knees apologizing."

Ed pulled back slightly at that, his eyes growing concerned as she spilled her heart. "Winry...no, this isn't your fault."

"Yes it is!" she exclaimed, the tears no doubt blurring her vision as she looked into his eyes. "It's all my fault. You weren't being selfish... _I_ was. What happened with your father is none of my business. It was never my place to demand you forget what he did. And then I kept to myself and refused to talk to you because I thought only I was right and you were wrong. I never even  _thought_  about a compromise. I'm such a dumb, stupid idiot."

As she continued to cry and Ed watched in stunned silence, the protective fiance part of him awoke and he managed a smile as he wrapped her back in his arms, letting her cry into his chest. "Don't say that, Winry. At the very least, we were both being idiots. We were both too stubborn to admit we were wrong. And we only managed to make ourselves miserable."

Ed heard her let out a choked laugh and felt as as her head shook from side to side. "Funny," she let out before sniffling. "Riza told me the same thing."

Ed scoffed. "Al said it too. We both really were blind."

Disentangling herself from him reluctantly, Winry wiped at her face, sniffled again, and flashed her fiance a weak smile. "Look at that, our first compromise. We need to get better at doing that."

His heart thoroughly aflutter, Ed breathlessly replied, "Yeah, we do."

Winry's smile then fell and her face turned serious. "Ed...I promise I won't ask you to make up with your father. I know now how hard that will be for you. All I ask is...at the very least...you'd be willing to let Alphonse and I make our own opinion of him."

Ed smiled and reached his hand up to brush away the last of her tears. "I can do more than that, Win. I was stupid saying you don't have a say in our family. You  _do_. Because in only a short while you will be part of our family. And you deserve to reach out to who you want to reach out to. I don't think I can ever forgive my dad...but I'm willing to let you and Al try."

Her smile was beaming. She let out another choked laugh and rolled her eyes. "All that time we were stewing alone and it was really that easy?"

Ed's face became sheepish. "Guess so. I promise you, I'm never letting that happen again. I've never been so depressed."

"Riza said you came in to dinner each night looking like your whole world had fallen apart."

"Yeah...it had...but it's back again," Ed spoke quietly before he leaned in closer and their lips fervently met in the middle.

The pair realized, as the kiss grew deeper and their hands clutched at one another, that they had become each other's lifeline. Being apart for so long had completely dried them out, but now they were overcome with the depth of the flood waters.

Even being sat in a pile of mud, the knight and the princess didn't slow down their ministrations. Winry's hands fisted tightly in the fabric of Ed's tunic, while the hand he'd placed on her cheek earlier angled her head so he could delve into her mouth with all the fervor of a starved man. They broke apart for air only to find their lips meeting again like two worlds colliding. The princess's hands moved from his chest to wrap around his neck, bringing him closer and closer to herself, desperate to be near to him after weeks of being so far away. Ed's hands shook as he moved them to her back, running up and down the fabric of her soaked cloak covering her shivering body.

Ed had a very fleeting thought, as they continued their little escapade, that Ling's advice to "get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness" had worked better than he could have possibly imagined.

They stayed practically glued to each other for longer than either of them knew. The sound of distant thunder was what finally broke them apart, as they each gasped for breath, their lips mere centimeters apart and their eyes locked.

"W-we should go inside," Winry suggested, her voice coming out in huffs as she panted.

Her suggestion made Ed's face fall slightly, his disappointment at having to end their reunion quite obvious. "Y-yeah," he replied in a similarly exhausted tone. He let his hands fall from where they were wrapped around her body and avoided her gaze. "Yeah, we should go and wash off all this mud and...go to sleep...I guess."

The princess couldn't help but smile fondly at the tone of his voice. Her eyes darkened slightly as the thought that had ignited inside of her began to fuel her actions. One of her hands cupped the side of his face before it brought his golden eyes back to hers. "Or…" she began in a voice far more sultry than she figured she'd ever be able to manage. "We could just get rid of our dirty clothes and dry off...together."

Ed's face scrunched up in confusion, the gravity of what she was suggesting not fulling hitting him. "Why would we do that when... _oh_ ," he whispered as the light finally flickered on in his brain. His eyes widened before they became concerned.

"A-are you...sure?"

She appreciated his trepidation and knew where it was founded, but she realized she couldn't possibly part from him now. Not after being seperated and angry for so long, not after thinking she was going to lose everything. She'd said she wanted to wait, but now…

Now she  _needed_ him.

Leaning in and letting her lips just slightly graze his own, she spoke in a voice barely audible over the sound of the rain falling. " _Very_ sure."

The pair of them were up on their feet and dashing toward the castle in less than a second.

* * *

Winry had pulled her golden-haired fiance (thank  _gods_  she could still call him that) into her dimly lit bedroom and quietly closed the door behind her. No doubt Riza had already gone to bed, but she could never be too sure. She decisively locked it behind her for extra safety.

Ed allowed her to lead him inside to the edge of her bed, even as her hands were furiously ridding them of their cloaks. The wet, heavy fabrics fell to the floor gracelessly and the princess's lips immediately gravitated back to his. It was amazing kissing her. He'd always thought so. But now with the added desperation exuding from them both it was even more intoxicating.

Even still, there was something gnawing away at the inside of him. It was dangerous, what they were doing. They were clearly emotionally spent and exhausted. Winry was quite obviously willing but...still. There was something about this that made Ed unsure.

He seemed to freeze a bit as Winry's hands continued to wander all over, pulling his tunic from his pants and desperately working to get it over his head. When he was rid of it, she stilled as well, leaning her head against his own and letting her fingers delicately trace the lines of his pectorals. The knight was beginning to feel his knees weaken and his heart race, and he just knew if he didn't say something right away, they'd let this go all the way without addressing it.

The princess, the wonderful and giving soul that she was, unknowingly presented the perfect opportunity to him. She let out a frustrated growl when she began to realize he wasn't reciprocating her furious motions. It was obvious from the look in her eyes what she wanted. She wanted to feel his own calloused hands running across her smooth skin. She wanted his golden eyes to darken with lust and desire as he looked upon her heaving form. She wanted to feel their naked bodies melding together as one.

But he stood motionless. He wanted all of those things too, but still... _but still_.

Their lips broke apart and Winry's eyes flashed in anger. Having just rid him of his tunic, she figured the next step was an obvious one. She knew he was a smarter man than this, but maybe he really  _did_ need to be helped along. Without another thought, she reached for his hand where it had fallen limply to his side and brought it up to rest on the top part of her chest...where the ties to her flimsy nightgown were. One tug on the end and the soaked fabric would fall where their other clothes were gathered. She wanted him to do it, but he still didn't move.

Leaning in closer, she finally whispered. "It's okay...you can do it."

At her words, Ed's gaze flashed back to her own and the princess nearly gasped at the emotion she found staring back at her. He didn't seem nervous or overwhelmed...if anything, he looked more determined than she'd ever seen him be.

"Winry…" he began in a steady tone. "You said you wanted to wait. I can't...I can't just...keep going. Not until you promise me that you're sure about this. That you're not scared."

Her eyes widened in understanding. Now she knew what was holding him back...and really what had always held him back. It was sweet in one way. He knew this was more than just quick and simple make-up sex. For her...after everything she'd been through...this first time would mean something. He could never understand what it would be like for her, and she was sure that terrified him.

Still, she smiled reassuringly. "Ed...of course I'm scared," she whispered.

Ed's expression grew worried at her words, but she continued to smile as her hand found the side of his neck and her thumb rubbed lovingly against his cheek. "I was always going to be scared. Doing this on our wedding night wouldn't have changed that.

"I am scared...and so are you. That's okay. That doesn't mean you're taking advantage of me or I'm being loose or whatever. It just means we're humans. But we're humans in love. I want to do this...right here and right now, however messy or shaky or whatever it's going to be. I love you, and I  _want_ you. I promise." As his wide eyes watched her, she dropped her hands and stepped a miniscule step away from him. Even as they shook, her hands moved to the ties of her gown and she undid them decisively before letting the cloth fall listlessly to the floor, revealing herself to him for the first time.

"Now," she began, trying to ignore the severity of what she'd just done. She stepped back up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting their bare chests meld into each other. "The question is: do you love me enough to give all of that weird, messy, shaky whatever to me tonight?"

Winry watched in awe as Ed's eyes seemed to instantly darken, before his lips captured hers quickly, wordlessly answering her question. She smiled into the kiss and let him push her back onto the soft sheets of her bed, relishing in the moments to come.


	16. Chapter 16

"All right, Your Majesty, everything should be here for you. I even had them add extra biscuits for the princess," one of Riza's favorite kitchen servants spoke as she finished laying out breakfast in the shared sitting room. The queen turned to the girl gratefully and smiled. Her mouth was practically watering already just from the smell of everything.

"I appreciate it. You can go on back, I think I can handle everything now."

The servant respectfully bowed, smiled, and then left the queen alone in the room with the food. She was already gravitating toward the biscuits but had to quickly stop herself before she could indulge...she'd promised Winry before she went to bed that she'd wait until they were both awake before eating. Now that the sisters had made up and things were still uncertain with Winry and Ed, the princess had asked her elder sister to share the meals she still couldn't attend with her. Riza didn't really mind, especially once she told Roy that her absence was more for her sister's support rather than something alarming.

Plus it also helped put off the inevitable. Roy was already itching to start telling everyone about the engagement. Riza had bought herself some time making him promise to at least wait to do it with her. Meals were usually the best time for such announcements so her being away from everyone certainly worked to her advantage.

Riza sat somewhat patiently on the couch for a while, periodically checking the position of the sunlight streaming through the windows to gage the time. It was rather unusual for her sister to sleep in so late…

Eventually getting fed up with waiting (and not wanting to settle for cold food), the queen let out a huff before stomping over to her sister's door and pounding on it a few times. "Winry," she loudly spoke through the wood. "Wake up, Winry, our breakfast is getting cold." She knocked a few more times and tilted her head at the lack of an answer. Curious, the queen turned the knob on the door and was even more surprised to find that it was locked. That was even stranger...Winry never locked her bedroom door.

Inside the room, the queen couldn't have possibly known what kind of scene was laid out. Her hair an absolute mess and her muddy clothes haphazardly lying on the floor, the Princess of Aerugo snoozed soundly in her bed, a tan arm wrapped comfortably across her midsection. The knocking on the door continued and her half-asleep brain attempted to ignore it. Her face furrowed as the intrusive sound continued. Why was someone waking her up? She was so comfortable and warm.

"Winry...are you in there?" she heard her sister's voice calling through the morning haze followed by more incessant knocking. The princess was about ready to yell for her sister to stop, when every detail of the previous night finally came rushing back and she sat up, eyes wide, with a loud gasp. Immediately her eyes fell on her snoring bed partner in panic. She couldn't even take the time to laugh at how hilariously awful Ed looked, sprawled out with his mouth open, a line of drool hanging from the edge. She immediately began whacking against his bare skin in an attempt to rouse him.

"E-Ed! Ed wake up! Hurry!" she called in a whispered, though no less panicked, voice. He mumbled a bit and buried his face in the pillow, but didn't move any more than that. Winry froze when she heard the doorknob rattling, thinking for sure the queen was going to stumble upon  _quite_  the scene, before she realized she'd had enough thought to lock the door the night before. That would at least buy her  _some_ time, she thought as she leaped from under the sheets, grabbed a nearby robe to cover herself and returned to trying to awake her fiance. It was odd for her to have her door locked so Riza would no doubt still be asking questions. She had to work quick.

As her fist began to bang repeatedly on Ed's arm, much to his slowly awakening chagrin, Winry hurriedly called to her sister on the other side. "B-be out in a minute!" She then turned back to her fiance, who started mumbling obscenities as his eyes squinted at the light coming through the windows. The princess quickly grabbed a spare sheet and attempted to give it to Ed, who looked more confused with every passing second. "Come on, Ed, you need to get up! Riza is on the other side of the door. Use this to cover up and get underneath the bed."

Ed's face became even more comically confused as he slowly sat up and tossed aside the pillows he'd entangled himself with in his sleep. "What? Why?" was his groggy reply.

Not in the mood for his shenanigans, Winry quickly glared and stuffed the sheet into his hands. "Because...something tells me you're not mentally capable of handling the wrath of the Queen of Aerugo when she comes in here and finds you naked in her sister's bed. Come on, hurry up!"

Slowly the situation become more clear for the golden-haired knight as he scowled, took the sheet from his fiance, and began wrapping it around his waist to preserve some of his propriety. He was still uttering nasty statements even as he got up from the bed and scooted underneath it to hide himself.

Once Winry was sure he and their tossed aside clothes were out of sight, she ran a hand through her matted hair, promptly gave up on it, then unlocked and swung the door aside, revealing her thoroughly befuddled older sister. Trying to sound like she was just roused from her sleep, the princess tiredly spoke, "Good morning. Did I sleep in?"

Riza lifted an eyebrow and seemed to catch her eye on something, before she immediately shook her head and focused her gaze back on Winry. "Yes, you did. You also locked your door last night. Any particular reason why?"

The princess plastered a confused look on her face and pretended to think back. "Huh...I didn't even realize. I guess I just did it without thinking before I went to bed."

Shrugging her shoulders, the queen leaned off the doorway and walked back to where the food had been laid out. "Well, our breakfast has been waiting for you for awhile. It's probably cold now, though they did leave extra biscuits."

Uncertain whether she should just leave her fiance under her bed, Winry quickly looked behind her before turning back and taking a few tentative steps into the sitting room. "Wonderful. It all looks so good."

"Mmhmm," Riza spoke calmly as she picked up the pot of coffee and began pouring herself a cup. "There's plenty here. You can even tell Ed that he can have some if he wants."

Winry instantly froze mid-step as the words left Riza's mouth. Warily, her eyes fell on where the queen was calmly pouring her coffee, a ghost of a knowing smile appearing on her face. She lifted the cup to her mouth, took a tentative sip, then flashed her sister a smirk that could rival her own fiance's.

The princess didn't even attempt to cover it up. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. "How did you know?"

Riza smiled as she set her mug down. She lifted her fingers to her neck and tapped a few times. "You might want to take a look in the mirror."

Confused, Winry turned back toward her room, walking up to the vanity she always got ready at. When she saw her reflection, she almost gasped. Her hair was an absolute mess, her cheeks were flushed, and, as clear as could be, multiple mottled red and purple spots were displayed along the column of her neck. She quickly gasped and, forgetting herself, turned toward her bed and exclaimed, "Ed, you  _dog_!"

"You can come out now, Sir Elric," Riza spoke in a shockingly calm tone given the circumstances. After a tense pause, rustling could be heard from underneath Winry's bed before a very sheepish knight emerged, still clutching the sheet around his waist. Both Ed and Winry flushed crimson as they each stood guiltily side by side in the doorway of the princess's bedroom. The queen appraised the pair with a look that was a mixture of amusement and admonishment. Heaving a long sigh, she finally broke the silence, "It seems we have a lot to talk about together. Though I would suggest, Edward, you put on some pants before we get into the bulk of it."

If possible, the young knight blushed even more before he nodded his head and replied in an unsure tone, "Y-yeah. I'll go...do that."

A few minutes later, the embarrassed pair sat down at the table in the sitting room looking mildly more put together than they had, though no less flushed. Winry had donned a simple day dress, her hair still an absolute mess, while Ed was wearing his dry and cracked muddy clothes from the night before. They were a stark contrast from the put-together queen eyeing them from across the breakfast table with a meticulous and calculating expression.

Still, as much as Riza wanted to give the pair a lecture, she was more amused than anything else. She picked up one of the infamous biscuits, tore off a piece and plopped it in her mouth as if nothing was odd or unique about this particular meal. Ed and Winry simply kept their hands to themselves, avoiding the queen's gaze, seemingly waiting for the onslaught.

After swallowing the delectable food, Riza simply brushed off her hands, grabbed her mug once more, and began in a calm voice. "I have many questions."

Still looking at anything but her elder sister, Winry attempted to defend herself, "Listen, Riza, it's more than you-,"

"Ah," the queen immediately interrupted, her hand shooting up to stop the words from flowing out of her sister's mouth. Winry quickly went silent. "I'm going to be the one doing the talking. Understand?"

Winry guiltily nodded her head while Ed remained frozen in place.

"Here's the first thing I'd like to know: when you two decided to fall into bed together, did you do it because all your anger had been held in for too long, or did you actually talk about everything that had been going on first?"

Winry was the one to reply. "Yes...we talked."

The queen took another sip of coffee. "I see. And did you manage to...resolve most things?"

The princess quickly looked over at her fiance, her expression softening slightly even despite the tense situation. "Yes, things should be going back to normal now." At her encouraging words, Ed finally managed to unfreeze himself and caught Winry's eye, his face also dropping it's terrified appearance...for a moment.

"Well," Riza spoke with a tilt of her head. "That's one thing, at least. Seeing you both apart was hard on all of us. I trust it won't ever happen again."

Managing a smile, Winry's eyes went back to her sister. "No, that won't be happening again. I don't think either of us can handle being that miserable."

"Good," Riza affirmed. "And this little escapade of yours...was it the first time you've...done anything like this?"

Once again, Ed and Winry flushed at the question. The princess began fiddling with her hands and the knight's eyes wandered aimlessly across the room. Finally, Winry was the one to reply once more. "Yes, Riza...it was the first time."

The queen's eyes narrowed. "And did you actually stop and discuss that at any point," she spoke with a more accusatory tone.

Surprising her, Winry huffed and met her sister's gaze head on. "Of course we did, Riza. We're not stupid kids anymore. As I was trying to tell you earlier before you cut me off, this is more than just a little fling. This was serious."

That put the queen at ease, but she wasn't done making her point known. "I was just making sure. As your older sister, I have a right to know these things."

"But do you really need to interrogate us like this?" the princess countered, crossing her arms indignantly.

Again, the queen's eyes narrowed in a dangerous glance. "Yes, Winry, I do. I need to make sure that everything is done... _properly_ …" Here Riza's stare turned toward Edward, who immediately straightened himself up at the scrutiny. He knew exactly what she really meant.

"Y-yes...things were done properly," he finally spoke in a terrified voice, hoping to not bring upon the true wrath of the Queen of Aerugo. Riza continued to eye him menacingly before she eventually sighed and shook her head.

"That's all I ask. To be honest, I really don't care if you two start sleeping together. None of us in this room are saints, so it doesn't really matter. I just want to know that neither of you believe it was a mistake...and that you're being smart about these things."

Though she continued to blush, Winry huffed again at her sister's words, wishing above all that this horribly awkward conversation would just  _end_. "I promise, Riza, we're being smart."

The queen trusted her younger sister in that aspect...aside from one last thing. "Really? So I  _don't_ need to take you down to see Marcoh after all today?"

Winry's face furrowed in confusion at her sister's words. "Wait, why would you want me to go see... _oh_...right."

Now it was Riza's turn to cross her arms. "Uh-huh. We'll be paying him a visit after breakfast, then."

The princess's face looked more red than it had that entire morning. "Y-yeah...that would be a good idea."

"Wait, I'm confused," Ed spoke, his expression confirming his words. At his obvious befuddlement, Winry rubbed the bridge of her nose knowing how bad it made them look while Riza merely sighed in exasperation.

"Please explain it to him later so I don't have to."

"Y-yeah...we'll talk about it."

"You better," the queen countered pointedly.

"We  _will_ ," Winry spoke, tired of all the accusations.

Deciding that was good enough for right now, Riza picked up her biscuit and bit into it again. "Alright, fine. You both better start eating all this food. I'm sure you're starving."

* * *

"How was your trip to East Lake, Your Majesty?" the familiar stablehand spoke to the king as he slowed his horse down to a halt in front of the entrance to the stables.

Roy huffed as he dismounted his trusted steed, taking a minute to give one last affectionate pat on his dark mane. "Hectic, as it usually is. Lord Hughes always keeps things interesting, especially with a second kid around."

The stablehand smiled as he reached forward to take the reins from the king. "I'm sure he does. I can take him in for you, now."

Startling the man, Roy instead waved him away, holding on to the reins himself as he began to walk his horse toward the stables. "No, I can do it myself. I have a meeting with my court to discuss mundane things and the longer I can put it off, the better," he told the stablehand with a wink, to which the other man could only chuckle and shake his head in response.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," he returned before he bowed and went back to whatever task he'd been at before the king arrived. Roy heaved a weighted sigh and walked into the main part of the stables, his mind racing.

Visits to Hughes' estate on the lake were certainly never boring, but this one had proven to be more difficult than others in the past. Roy attributed part of that to the new baby, who was finally old enough to cause mayhem in the household. Hughes had been as obnoxious about the new one as he was with Elicia, and managing to distract him long enough to talk business had proved to be quite taxing.

Another part of the difficulty came in what Roy had to discuss, and really what Hughes had told him in return. His best friend had been hard at work the last few months tracking down leads on the Republic. Though things had been quiet lately in regards to the mysterious group, Roy still felt like he couldn't let his guard down, yet he didn't quite have enough time to fully devote his attention to the matter. Assigning Hughes to do the bulk of the grunt work while he remained 'retired' out on the lake seemed like the most logical step. Even that still wasn't working in the king's favor, however.

" _What do you mean you have nothing?" the king asked in exasperation once he had_ finally  _managed to corral Hughes away from his family._

_His friend gave a small shrug. "It's not that I have nothing. I just don't have anything useful."_

" _What the hell does that mean?" Roy asked through gritted teeth._

_Hughes sighed. "Well, I can tell you they call their leader Father and the 'Lust' figure referenced in Claudio's letter to you before he tried to kill Riza is one of their big ring leaders. The rest refer to themselves by the Seven Deadly Sins, but I haven't been able to find anyone who's heard of any of them."_

_Now it was Roy's turn to sigh. "I know all of this already, Hughes."_

" _Exactly. So, unfortunately, I can't give you anything of substance. I wish I could, though, Roy. I really wish I could. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but they're good at covering their tracks."_

_Roy squeezed the bridge of his nose and tried to talk calming breaths. "Why do I get the feeling we won't know more about them until they decide to make another move?"_

" _That's what I'm afraid of, as well. But don't you worry, Roy, I'm not giving up. Little Alyn's arrival certainly delayed things but already I'm getting back to it. In fact, I'm going to be leaving soon on a little trip of my own to try and get more information."_

" _Where are you going?"_

_The smile that his friend flashed him was peculiar, to say the least. As always, Roy felt like Hughes knew far more than he did. "I can't tell you just yet. You'll find out in due time, though."_

_The king merely rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just promise me you won't give up. I will not have those bastards threatening the ones I love again."_

_Now Hughes' smile was more genuine. "Don't worry, Roy. I won't let you down."_

The king knew he could always trust his best friend, but the way things were going at the moment certainly didn't give him a lot of faith. He could only pray to the gods that Hughes would actually have some answers for him soon. Whatever little 'trip' he was going on had better be worth it.

As the king entered the stables with his horse, his roiling thoughts prevented him from paying much attention to his surroundings. So, when he turned the corner where the particular pen for his horse was, he was rather surprised to find a familiar figure standing in his path.

"Roll over... _no_...like this...Hayate you won't get the treat unless you  _roll over_. No...NO...hey, get back here!" Riza spoke in an exasperated tone, as the little puppy he had given her stared expectantly at the treat in her hand, immovable even despite the queen's pleaded attempts to do as she asked. Eventually, the dog noticed the king's arrival and immediately ran to greet him.

The pup had certainly grown since he had last seen him, easily three times the size he once was. He happily hopped on the king's legs with a face that was just begging for attention. Tying his horse up on a nearby pole, Roy laughed and leaned down to appease the dog, his eyes finding Riza's staring back at him.

Her hands were on her hips and a bit of stray hair was hanging down from her normally impeccable bun. It seemed she had been at whatever kind of 'training' she was doing for awhile now. He hadn't seen her for the last few days while he was at Hughes' house, but she looked more annoyed at his presence than grateful to see him.

"Now, don't just give him what he wants, Roy. He needs to learn to follow commands."

The king could only smile as he lifted the dog into his arms and stood to his feet. With his other hand, he untied his horse's reins and led him to his nearby pen, closing it behind him before walking back to where Riza stood. "Sorry," the king replied, only somewhat apologetically, as he let his hand run across the pup's black and white fur. "I didn't mean to distract him."

Riza sighed. "It's fine, just let him down now so he can finally roll over."

Appeasing his fiance, Roy finally placed the dog back on the ground so his mistress could resume her training. However, as soon as he did, the dog was immediately trying to get back into the king's arms. Riza could only intensify her glare at the sight.

The king couldn't help but laugh. "W-what? He's clearly taking a liking to me. Besides, something tells me that you've been training him for awhile now. Even dogs deserve breaks."

Riza's hands went decisively back to her hips. "He's had plenty of breaks...and plenty of treats. I'm starting to think he knows that eventually I'll just give up on him if he does nothing. As smart as he seems to be, he certainly doesn't like to do what he's told. Sounds like someone else I know."

Roy dramatically placed his hand on his chest like she'd just shot him with one of her arrows and fake gasped. "Are you calling me a dog?"

The queen crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow. "I suppose that's a nice way of putting it."

The king dropped his act and laughed. "Come on, love, I think he'll learn just fine. I guess with all this new training that means you're planning on bringing him to live with you in the castle soon?"

"Yes, I spoke to Jefferey not long after you left for East Lake and he said he's well grown up enough to handle it. The question now becomes whether or not he can  _behave_ ," she spoke, giving the oblivious dog a pointed look.

"He'll learn. With a steadfast mistress like yourself, he'll be perfectly trained in no time."

She could tell he was kissing up, but she elected to ignore it this time around. "Hopefully he'll catch on faster than you have."

"Very funny," Roy replied with a prompt roll of his eyes. "By the way, what was it that you called him earlier?"

"Hayate," the queen answered simply as she again attempted to get the pup to cooperate.

"What the hell does that mean?" Roy asked in confusion.

"That's his name."

" _That's_ his name?" the king countered incredulously which caused Riza's eyes to narrow and her hands to find their way back to her hips.

"Yes, that's his name. Do you have a problem with it?"

Roy could tell from the anger slowing forming behind her eyes that he would be going down a dangerous hole if he didn't act fast. "O-of course not, love! I think it's very...unique and uhhh...interesting."

The queen could only roll her eyes at his attempt to appease her before she proudly explained, "Hayate means 'hurricane' in ancient Aerugonian. And he's certainly proving himself to be like one." At this, her admonishing glare turned from the king back down to the dog, who, again, looked positively oblivious.

"W-well...as I said earlier, I'm sure he'll learn in no time. You always were an excellent teacher," Roy spoke, before he reached for her waist and moved to plant a kiss on her cheek. Much to his distaste, she instantly pulled away from him, her eyes nervously looking around the stables to confirm that they were empty.

"Gods, Roy, you have to be more careful about things like that. Any of the stablehands could walk in here and see us."

Though she had (somewhat) of a point, Roy still couldn't help the annoyed look from taking up residence on his face. This was not the first time since they'd gotten engaged that she had quickly pulled herself away from him, fearful they would get 'caught' being affectionate to one another. It only served to frustrate him further when he remembered that they  _could_  just announce the engagement and be done with all this sneaking around, but she kept making him put it off.

"And what if they do? Am I not allowed to kiss my fiance?" was the king's petulant response. He knew he sounded childish, but his annoyance with the situation was starting to bubble to the surface.

The look Riza gave him was expected, but he didn't much care. "I highly doubt you want servants to be the first people to know about this. They're the worst at keeping secrets."

"Then why make it a secret?"

Avoiding his pointed gaze, the queen replied in a voice as annoyed as Roy felt. "You know why."

"No, Riza, I really don't. You told me you wanted to wait until everyone was together to announce it. I gave you time while Ed and Winry were still not speaking, but now that's all resolved. It's been over a week since we've all started having dinner together and each night you tell me you don't want to do it. What's holding you back?"

"M-many things!"

"Like what? Give me one good reason why you want to keep this a secret."

Still not looking at him, the queen seemed to have a roiling internal debate before she finally met his eyes and gave him a determined answer. "It's dangerous. If the Republic knew about our relationship, they could use it against us."

"They've already used it against us, Riza. The scar in your side should be enough proof of that."

He hated to bring such a traumatic experience back up, especially as he watched the queen's hand ghost across the area Claudio had stabbed her absentmindedly, but if that was really her only reason, it was a poor one.

"It's not just that," she finally spoke in a voice significantly more subdued.

"What else then?"

Again Roy could almost watch the argument in her mind play out like a movie across her face before she sighed and answered him, "It's Winry too. I'm worried that if we announce something as massive as a royal wedding, she'll feel overshadowed. I've already told you that I need to work on Winry getting married before I can focus on myself. Why can't we wait until she has her moment before we have ours? Their wedding is only about a month away now."

The more the queen spoke, the more Roy had to admit she had a point. He still claimed it was a weak argument, and he just  _knew_  there was some other reason she didn't want to tell him but...still. He loved her more than he could even express and if this was what she really, truly wanted...he wasn't sure he could say no.

Then, the diabolical woman that she was, she had to go straight for the heart. "Please, Roy. Will you let me have this...for me?"

He thought about it another long moment before he let out a weighted sigh and met her pleading gaze. "That's not fair. You know I can't deny you anything."

The queen managed to give him an apologetic smile. "I promise it will be worth it to wait. You've gone this long already...what's one more month? Besides...there's still plenty we can do in secret." The way her voice pitched low at that last statement had Roy turned into a puddle, as if he wasn't one already. She really did have him well trained...she knew just the right things to say.

"So you claim, but you haven't been doing a good job of keeping your promises in regards to that. When was the last time we were together? It had to have been before Ed and Winry made up."

Knowing she had won the argument, Riza sighed and shook her head. "It's difficult nowadays. Winry actually pays attention to where I am and what I'm doing. She has no reason to judge me for it...especially now...but it's still a conversation I'd rather avoid. Not to mention I have to go through the guards that are posted in front of the royal suite each time. That hasn't gotten any less embarrassing with time."

"Well...I can't help you with Winry, but there is one thing I can do...and really I should have done it when all of this started."

Riza's face furrowed in confusion. "Done what?"

Digging through his pocket decisively, the king pulled out a small metal key before he let Riza take it from him. "What's this?" she asked, turning it over in her hands.

"The key to my study. At nights the guards are stationed closer to my bedroom, so if you go through there you won't run into them. Most of the important stuff inside has its own secure spot anyway, so it's pointless to guard."

Riza's eyes widened at his words, but she looked no less puzzled. "How does that help me? I know you have a couch in there, but a bed does tend to be more comfortable."

Roy couldn't help but let out a snort at her adorable confusion. Before she could glare at him for making fun of her, he continued to explain. "Do you know the shelf with all the old scrolls that sits in the back left corner?"

"Yeah," Riza cautiously replied.

"If you move it about two feet to the right you'll reveal a secret passageway that leads directly to my private sitting room."

The queen's eyes widened exponentially at that bit of information. "A secret passageway? And here I thought that was only something reserved for fantasy novels. Isn't that a bit unsafe?"

Roy smiled at her reaction. "The door in the sitting room is locked from the other side. All you need to do is set up a time to come and knock. I can hear it pretty well from any part of my bedroom."

Turning the key over in her hands, Riza contemplated this new bit of information. "Well, for someone so intent on announcing this, you certainly are prepared to sneak around."

"Believe it or not, the passageway has a purpose beyond sneaking women into my bedroom."

At this, Riza couldn't help but glare, although Roy could only laugh at it. "Fine, this will help somewhat, so I'll take it. Did you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Just a boring council meeting and then dinner."

"Oh, I didn't know there was a meeting. Do you want me to go?"

Immediately Roy shook his head. "No need for that. We'll just be discussing mundane things that don't really pertain to you. If I were you, I'd save myself the boredom."

The queen smiled. "Alright then. You were right when you said it's been awhile since we've...gotten together. Shall we plan on tonight?"

At this, the king's gaze darkened. "I'll be waiting for you. You only need to worry about wearing this," he spoke in a low voice before, after making sure no one was still around, reached underneath her neckline and pulled out the crest necklace that Riza had, recently, attached the engagement ring to, so as to have it on her at all times without revealing their relationship. "All other clothing is optional," he added in a devious tone which immediately earned him a quick shove and another playful glare. The queen then quickly stuffed the necklace back underneath her dress and took a large step away from him, but not even she could hold back the red tinting her cheeks.

"I'll see you then," she finally replied.

* * *

Riza walked beside Lady Helena throughout the castle corridors, loving the time to catch up with the older woman. As everything was happening, she hadn't yet gotten the chance to talk it over with anyone other than Winry and Roy and was beginning to feel a bit detached from her usual group of castle friends. Lady Helena had always been the perfect confidant so Riza ended up sharing far more than she would have with just anyone else.

It had been a frightfully boring day so far, so when she had run into an equally wandering Helena, the pair had agreed to walk together. Riza had to stifle quite a few yawns as they spoke, still rather exhausted from how late the king had kept her up the night before.

A fact she  _wasn't_  about to reveal to Helena.

As the pair walked closer to the throne room, they turned a corner and noticed an unfamiliar group of people, with Sir Havoc looking around nervously. As they approached, Jean gave the proper salute before he spoke in a businesslike tone.

"You should probably go the other way, Your Majesty. We're about to transfer a prisoner out. It seems one our villagers wasn't intent on following the rules."

Riza was aware that Roy hosted villagers in the castle every so often, as a way of having better communication with his people. It was mostly heads of families or leaders of clans that came to either speak to Roy directly, or one of his court members, in an attempt to make their voices known. Riza did something similarly in her own castle when she was there, so she wasn't surprised to see a long line of people dressed in the typical garb of commoners...or that one of them had gotten a bit unruly. Gods knew she'd had to have guards drag some people kicking and screaming out of her throne room a few times.

"Oh, we can wait. I don't think either of us are in a particular rush," Riza replied.

Sir Havoc looked about ready to protest, but before he could say anything else, the sound of a woman screaming was heard even all the way down the corridor. The trio watched as an older looking woman was fighting in the grips of two guards who were struggling to lead her away from the throne room. The queen stood and watched as the villager fought against them desperately, yelling at whoever she passed to try and find someone who would listen.

Eventually, she got close enough to the queen that Riza could hear what she was saying.

"Please, you don't understand! Justice must be served! Why won't anyone listen, why are you silencing us!?"

The queen couldn't help the twinge of sympathy she felt as the older woman, with matted grey hair and tattered clothes, got closer to where she stood. Finally, the inevitable happened and the villager noticed Riza standing there. Instantly her eyes widened and her pleas grew louder.

"The Queen! Please, you have to listen to me! Listen to  _us!_ They're silencing my people! We can't let this injustice go on any further."

"Take her away," Havoc commanded the guards in a shockingly gruff voice before Riza's hand shot out, stopping them. Her face became determined and she spoke in a confident voice, "No. Everyone should get the chance to speak. If rulers don't listen to their people, we'll just become tyrannical."

"B-but, Your Majesty…" Havoc tried to protest, before one last glare shot his way shut him up for good. The queen took a confident step toward where the woman was still being held back by the guards.

"What are you protesting here today?" she asked, the same question she told her own people when they came to see her.

The woman looked shocked at finally being allowed the chance to speak, but didn't let her surprise slow her down. "The erasure of my people."

"Who are your people?" the queen asked calmly.

"The Homunculi! The people everyone seems to want to look down on. We once were a fierce group in the southeast, but after the work of King Phillip, we struggle to survive."

Riza's face instantly furrowed. She had never even heard of this 'Homunculi' group. It was a rather odd name, given its alchemical connotation.

The woman seemed to notice the queen's confusion and loudly scoffed at the sight. "Ha! They haven't even told you. The Amestrians are  _lying_ to their Aerugonian allies, Your Majesty. The  _king_  lies! You should know what he and his father before him have done."

"That's enough!" a loud voice suddenly rang out, and the queen couldn't help but turn startled eyes to where Lady Helena's fist were clenched and her pointed glare was fixated on the older woman. Her harsh reaction alone was enough to get the queen thinking.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Helena spoke in a rare showing of anger.

"It's my  _people_! How dare you say I don't know! King Phillip tried to erase us, we are almost nothing now because of him. King Roy is about to do the same to us  _and_ the Ishvalans he put in our place."

As if the queen's guard wasn't up enough before, it certainly was now. While Riza had never heard of the Homunculi people, she was very familiar with the Ishvalans. It was one of the few things her father had disagreed with King Phillip on, though because they were Amestrian people, they had no say in what happened to them. Riza still wasn't certain of the details, but she did know the Ishvalan people were gathered and allocated to a small region in the southeast not long after Roy took the throne. She never knew why the sudden placement was carried out, or what even Roy's plans were for them while they were there. The mysterious villager was certainly revealing more than she was aware.

"You shut your mouth!" Helena exclaimed, before Riza stopped her.

"Helena! Let her talk," Riza commanded in a firm voice, not ever wishing to pull rank on her friends, but knowing it was necessary in this case. Helena's severe reaction was certainly worrying, but the queen knew she had to listen fully to all sides before she could place judgement.

"What exactly do you accuse the former king of doing?"

"Of erasing us! Of stealing from us and whittling us down to make us easier to deal with. We had done nothing to him or to Amestris! He just wanted control. And now King Roy will continue his father's plans. Someone must stop him!"

Using a strength no one had been expecting, the older woman managed to free herself from the grip of the guards before she rushed forward and clutched at Riza's arms, her nails digging desperately into her skin. "Only you can save us, Queen of Aerugo! Only you can save the Ishvalans  _and_ the Homunculi. Amestris will become a tyrannical kingdom if you don't do something!" The emotion behind the woman's words froze the queen almost as quickly as the peculiar depth of her strangely purple eyes. The woman didn't get to say much else before the guards had seized her again and Sir Havoc stepped between them.

"That's enough! You dare raise your hands against a queen? Take her to the dungeon...Now!" he commanded, and this time Riza let him, having heard all that she needed to.

The woman continued screaming and pleading as she was dragged away, leaving them all in silence in her wake. Eventually the First Knight turned his attention back to Riza. "Are you all right, Your Majesty?" he worriedly asked.

The queen's face was straight as she calmly answered. "I'm fine. It's important that we always stop and listen."

Here her eyes turned to where Helena was looking at her with a fiercely guarded and uncertain glance.

In an equally fierce tone, Riza remarked, "You never know what kinds of things you may discover."


	17. Chapter 17

Riza blinked at the light coming from the flickering candle. She couldn't remember how long she had been staring at it. Her eyes were beginning to blur from the bright light but she paid it no mind. It didn't much matter. Nothing ever truly did.

The Queen of Aerugo sighed and finally let her eyes drift from the shimmering flame back to the piles of parchment and scrolls laid out before her. She was being overly dramatic again, contemplating life and all its great mysteries when she should be doing work. She needed to get herself out of this depressing headspace, though the task had been impossible for the past few days.

Every since that fateful encounter in the corridor, Queen Riza's mind had been swimming with overwhelming thoughts. Her curiosity, and really her fears, were the only things powering her through the hours of investigation and research. She'd been holed up in the archives almost all day, every day since then, scavenging through every written text in the Amestrian library for answers to her many,  _many_ questions.

" _Only you can save us, Queen of Aerugo! Only you can save the Ishvalans and the Homunculi. Amestris will become a tyrannical kingdom if you don't do something!"_

Those words had been playing over and over again in her head the past few days and the queen was beginning to get sick of it. She just couldn't shake what the old commoner woman had said to her. Regardless of whether or not her words were true, the ominous note to her warnings was enough to put anyone ill at ease.

Riza rubbed at the pounding spot on her forehead and sighed. She needed to remain rational, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time. The screaming pleas of one commoner shouldn't make her so nervous. She was doing her due diligence to investigate this strange 'Homunculi' group and so far she had come up virtually empty. The old woman's claims needed to be proven before she would believe the Amestrians had done anything even remotely heinous.

So why was she so on edge? Why did her stomach roil at the possibility of the woman's claims being true? Why was she suddenly rethinking all her loyalties? Why was she worrying about any of this?

Riza knew very well why. If this encounter had happened even less than six months ago, she probably would have shaken it aside and moved on. Sure she might have done the appropriate research to make sure the crazy woman wasn't actually telling the truth, but once her investigations had come up empty (which had been the case so far) she would've shrugged, accepted it as a lie, and moved on.

But the feeling of the cold medal resting on a chain around her neck had her hyperfocusing on this strange claim and these mysterious people. She knew it wasn't fair to Roy, to try her hardest to find something to hold against him, in an effort to appease her own guilt. None of this was ever fair for him. Her own feelings on their engagement shouldn't get in the way of her judgement. She had never let her relationship with the Amestrian king cloud over the way she ruled. Why start now?

Because the queen still felt like vomiting every time she thought about what all of this meant. Because the queen still wasn't sure the man she loved above all else even still saw her as an equal. Because the way Lady Helena looked at her while they were taking the Homunculi woman away made Riza suddenly believe everyone was hiding something from her.

So she'd sat herself in the archives for hours on end, trying to find some shred of evidence that any of this was true. She was sure others, especially Roy and her sister, were starting to become suspicious of what she was doing, but she didn't much care. She had to find  _something_. The details of the woman's claims were too specific, her voice too impassioned, and the mystery of it all far too great for Riza to brush it all aside.

The queen was even starting to believe the fact that she had found  _nothing_ , not one single mention of the Homunculi or what happened to them, was even more of a reason to be suspicious.

A strangely wet sensation on her fingers snapped her out of her inner battle as she looked to the hand hanging limply at her side. Hayate, who had diligently been by her side throughout her hours of research after finally being allowed to come live with her in the castle, was sweetly licking the tips of her fingers, desperate for attention. Heaving another sigh, the queen picked the pup up and placed him in her lap, running an affectionate hand through his black and white fur, much to his pleasure.

Perhaps she had worked herself into a frenzy, and all of this was for nothing. She had no reason to believe King Phillip would do something as horrible as erase an entire group of people and she had even less of a reason to believe Roy was about to do the same to the Ishvalans in the southeast. Even suggesting such a thing would have been a direct violation of the treaty Aerugo had with Amestris, so it was not something that would be taken lightly. Even if it was true, it would be quite impressive that no one in Aerugo had ever found out it happened after all these years, given how close the kingdoms had always been.

Riza knew, in the end when all was said and done, that it was a ridiculous claim, and she should trust Roy wouldn't keep something so awful from her. The intelligent, rational side of her was laughing at her concerns, knowing it was too far-fetched to even be a possibility.

But the emotional, passionate side of her couldn't shake the strange, uncertain suspicion that was festering deep inside of her. That side couldn't stop the frantic searching, couldn't stop the incessant worrying, couldn't stop the terrible ways this could all go that her mind's eye was creating.

So she continued on. She cut her meals short, avoided her friends, and buried herself in her work. This was the only way she could find any shred of sanity. With everything that had been happening lately, and really everything that had happened over the past year, this was the only solution she could come up with that didn't involve her completely falling apart.

She set Hayate back down, ignored his whines, and buried her nose back in the piles of parchment and delicately scrawled words. She rubbed at her eyes and yawned and tried to ignore the thought of how long she'd been here and how tired she was. At one point, she got up from her hastily put together workbench to go find another pile of scrolls or books or whatever else the archives held for her, traversing through a part she hadn't explored as much as the others, when the sight of something stopped her cold.

Her eyes widened, her heart dropped, and the coiling feeling of anxiety and disgust with herself came crawling back up her throat.

There, illuminated by the light of her candle, was a portrait on the wall, not unlike the other countless paintings adorning the architecture of the magnificent Amestrian archives. In any other circumstance, she would have paid it no mind, but this one was different. This one was very, very different.

The woman staring back at her, painted with a small smile wearing a beautiful dress the color of rubies and a crown full of them placed atop her head, was someone Riza had never met and would never meet.

But that didn't stop her from knowing exactly who she was.

All the countless stories, the raving commentaries on her beauty, her eyes, her smile, her  _everything_. Riza didn't need to have ever seen her in her lifetime to know, it was plain as day who's portrait she was looking upon, hidden in the back corner of the archives away from prominent view.

The queen had to wonder if it was Roy's idea, to put Isabella's portrait in a place where it would be less noticed, as a way of erasing some of the pain from her loss. Perhaps having her way back here had been easier on him, and the rest of the castle, so she was moved from where she theoretically should have been: at the entrance, next to her husband's and her in-laws' paintings.

Whatever the reason, her sudden appearance had Riza frozen in her spot. It would've been enough of a shock just to see what she looked like for the first time, to get a glimpse of the otherworldly beauty everyone claimed and now the queen could believe, but that wasn't what really got to Riza.

It was the crest necklace, the one to symbolize the Amestrian royal family, the one that looked  _just_  like her own, worn proudly around Isabella's neck in the portrait.

Riza couldn't remember ever feeling as sick as she did in that moment.

She immediately closed her eyes and turned her back on the beautiful Cretian-turned-Amestrian's kind smile. She placed a hand on her stomach as if to calm her own feelings of disgust and attempted to take deep, calming breaths. Nothing could possibly stop what was going through her mind, however.

She didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve his love and devotion. Not when she couldn't reciprocate in the way he needed. In the way Isabella had done.

Riza had never been jealous of her. Not once, throughout the many, many reminders of her wonderful time on Earth, had the queen ever felt a shred of resentment or anger. She was sure Isabella was as kind as everyone said. She was sure the love she had accrued had all been well deserved. She didn't mind that Roy clearly was still in love with her, and always would be. She hadn't cared about any of that.

But now, seeing the way Isabella was painted proudly displaying the link between her and Roy that Riza hid underneath her dress day in and day out made her feel totally and completely... _unworthy._

And here she was now, searching for hours and hours until her sheer exhaustion would cause her to stop, just for something to hold against Roy. To shove it in his face as proof of why they couldn't get married yet. To make her feel better for even doubting their engagement in the first place.

Without even realizing it, Riza's hand drifted to the top part of her chest, where she could feel the crest and the engagement ring hanging off of it hidden underneath the fabric of her dress. It burned her skin like the fire from Roy's candles. It served as a reminder of what she had always known, but had refused to even think into existence.

_You will never be good enough._

She loved Roy, fiercely, but she wasn't what he needed. It was becoming more and more obvious the more settled into the idea of their marriage he became. The more council meetings he waved her away from because they were too 'boring'. The more hunting trips with his court he didn't invite her to. The more times he told her how happy he was that Helena could retire from her duties as keeper of the house once she assumed the throne. They were small instances that she did her best to shrug aside, but she had always known what they really meant.

Roy needed a  _queen_. But he didn't need a queen like Riza. He needed one like Isabella.

He needed a wife, and a mother. A beautiful face with a charming smile and a melodious voice that everyone in the castle and the kingdom beyond it could fall in love with. Someone who would stand at his side, even when he did things he shouldn't. Always following him, never leading him.

She couldn't give him that. She  _wouldn't_.

And, as the logistics of her grand 'plan' to make things work for the both of them became harder to overcome, Riza realized that there was nothing she could do to stop the inevitable. She had told Winry compromise was always possible, but with every passing day, she was starting to wonder if they'd ever reach it.

Riza walked far, far away from Isabella's portrait with ghost-like steps, the dread building in the pit of her stomach. She plopped down onto the chair at her makeshift desk and set the candle down atop it, her eyes becoming lost in the flames once more.

She became so out of it, that she didn't notice the sound of footsteps and a second light approaching.

"Perhaps you're searching in the wrong place, Your Majesty." The distinctly unfamiliar sound of the voice behind her had the queen instantly in fight mode, her whole body swiveling in her chair and her hand instinctively reaching to the hem of one of her sleeves, where her small knives were always kept well hidden. It wasn't until her eyes focused more on the figure in the dark that she realized it was a young man dressed in the garb of a castle servant. She relaxed a bit at the sight, but his words still had her on edge.

"Who are you?" she bluntly asked, even as he calmly approached her work area.

The servant smiled. "I apologize for my lack of decorum, Your Majesty, but I don't need to introduce myself. I'm a nobody. It doesn't matter who I am, but rather...what I know."

Her guard was still up, but she scoffed and decided to humor him. "And what is it that you know?"

"What I've already said. You're looking for the right things in the wrong place. You'll find no mention of the Homunculi here. King Phillip and his son made sure of that," the servant spoke, his voice darkening as he finished. The queen's eyes widened fractionally at his words, wary of just how exactly some random servant knew that's what she was researching.

In a quiet voice, still unsure what to make of any of this, Riza responded, "And how can you of all people be sure of that?"

Giving her a soft smile that felt strangely out of place, one of the servant's hands went to the collar of his simple tunic and he pulled it aside, revealing dark ink sketched into a peculiar pattern on his skin. Riza had seen the symbol of the dragon eating its own tail a few times before, usually in old science and alchemy texts that her tutor had made her read during her studies, but never before as a tattoo. Her brow furrowed and she turned questioning eyes on the young man.

"What is that?"

"It's the symbol of my people. The Homunculi."

So the queen's rising suspicion was true. "I see. And I suppose you would know better than most where the information on your people is hiding." She still wasn't sure what to make of any of this, and she was extremely hesitant to believe anything the servant was saying...but still, she was curious what it was he wanted to tell her.

"Of course. If you search in the right place, you will discover everything you need to know." Reaching into his pocket, the servant pulled out a folded up piece of dirty parchment paper and tossed it in front of the queen on her desk. Still wary, Riza eyed it and, again out of sheer curiosity, grabbed and unfolded it. Her eyes skimmed over the writing scrawled on the surface until she realized that the man had given her directions to somewhere. A meeting place, it seemed.

"There's more of us than the Amestrian royalty would like you to believe. You go there, you'll find someone who can answer all your questions."

Having enough of the servant's game, the queen tossed aside the parchment and turned accusatory eyes back on him. "And why am I supposed to believe any of this? There's been no mention in any of the texts in the archives of anything having to do with the Homunculi. I hadn't even heard the name until a short while ago and now you're telling me there's a whole sect of you right here in the capital city?"

"Looks can be deceiving, Your Majesty. And given what's been done, you shouldn't have expected to hear about us from your Amestrian 'friends'." The vitriol with which the servant (if he even was a servant here at the castle) spoke of the Amestrian royal court had Riza eyeing him skeptically.

"Are you able to prove any of this?"

Surprising her, the servant began to laugh. "No, I'm not."

Lifting an eyebrow, the queen countered. "Then why the hell should I trust you?"

His smile turning into a knowing smirk, the servant answered, "Because...I know you're desperate enough to believe anything."

The queen's face blanched and her eyes widened.

"It's your choice, Your Majesty. But I know you're smart enough to pick the right one. We look forward to seeing you soon," the man spoke, before he was gone as quickly as he appeared, leaving a positively stunned Queen Riza in his wake.

* * *

"Lady Helena is here to see you, Your Majesty," one of the king's guards said after a swift knock on his study door. Roy looked up from the candle he was currently waving a piece of metal through to observe the change in color and quickly motioned for the guard to let her in.

Once she was through the door, he didn't take the time to look at her face. If he had, he would have seen the creased brow and the frightfully concerned expression she wore. "Unusual for you to come here to talk to me about something, Helena," Roy addressed, his eyes still fixated on his flame.

"I needed the privacy. It's very important." The tone of her voice at least was able to drag his gaze away momentarily. He got a glimpse of the worry in her eyes and tilted his head curiously.

"What is it?" he asked, setting down the metal and giving his old caretaker his full attention. With heavy steps she approached his elaborate desk and sat at one of the chairs on the other side.

"I need to discuss something that happened last week in the corridor. I was going to tell you about it earlier but I...didn't know how." The king noticed the way her eyes darted from side to side and her hands fidgeted in her lap. Roy's interest was instantly piqued.

"It has to do with Queen Riza...and something she heard."

Roy was now even more curious, and slightly concerned himself. He didn't like the way Helena looked or talked, especially once he knew this involved Riza. "Tell me," he directed, in a voice that brooked no argument, but was also soft enough to allow an open environment. He now knew what Helena needed to tell him was of the utmost importance.

"I was walking with her down one of the main corridors, on one of the days you and the court were seeing villagers. As we came closer to the throne room, Sir Havoc stopped us and told us to go another way because they were transferring a prisoner."

Roy nodded his head calmly as a sign for her to continue.

"You never got the chance to see her, since she was being unruly, but we didn't manage to get away in time before she and the guards holding her passed us."

A nervous feeling bloomed in the king's stomach. He already didn't like the way this was going.

"She was fighting and screaming...it was impossible for anyone to ignore her. She recognized Riza as we passed, and pleaded with her to listen to her protests."

"And did she?" Roy asked, not wanting to let any of his emotions show on his face just yet.

Surprising him, Helena's expression twisted. "Of course. You royals always have to be so noble, even when it's not in your best interests." The sarcasm exuding from her tone surprised Roy even more. He motioned for the elder woman to continue.

Taking a calming breath, Helena's eyes met the king's. "She was a Homunculi, Roy. She tried to tell Riza what your father had done."

The king let the news roll over him, his expression unchanging. Eventually in a far too calm voice, he asked, "Is that all?"

Helena's gaze turned sharp. "What do you mean is that all? Roy, this is serious. Neither Riza nor her father have ever known about any of that. Phillip would be rolling over in his grave if he knew what she had heard."

The king scoffed. "It shouldn't be like that. It should never have been like that. Riza is our ally, she deserves to know."

"Then why doesn't she? Why haven't you told her?"

The king met his old caretaker's fiery gaze with a stone cold expression. Eventually after a few moments of a heated staring match, the king looked to the side and sighed.

"I don't know how. I don't know what to say to make sure she doesn't...misunderstand."

"What's to misunderstand? Your father silenced their people to prevent a war. You helped him."

Roy's fists clenched and his eyes darted back to the woman before him. "And I'm trying to fix it!"

"Not well enough, apparently, because they're still out there, spreading their hate of your monarchy. Trying to convince your allies to turn against you. How well could you possibly be fixing it if the Queen of Aerugo could catch wind of the whole thing just walking down the hallways of the castle!"

It was silent a moment as Roy processed Helena's words. Her eyes were fierce and accusatory and suddenly the king felt like he was being transported back in time.

"I was going to tell her. I  _will._ I just need more time."

Helena sighed at that answer. "Well you're running out of it. You can't possibly expect to marry her with this not addressed."

Roy's eyes widened as the words left her mouth and he had to stop himself from letting his jaw drop. Helena merely rolled her eyes and smirked. "You're a foolish man if you really thought I didn't know about any of that. As always, you're far less discrete than you think you are."

For once, the king kept his mouth shut.

Getting up from her seat, Helena's eyes became serious once more. "Be careful, Roy. She's going to start asking questions. Pray to the gods she asks them of you and not someone else."

* * *

Riza's footsteps were heavy as she descended into the foreign part of the Amestrian castle. Her heart raced and her mind was swimming with intrusive thoughts. Her stomach roiled as she made her way down the dark stone staircase leading to the castle dungeons.

This was foolish, all of this. It was dangerous, it was unwise, and it was positively outrageous in every way. Yet the queen couldn't stop her wandering steps or the pulls of her raging heart.

" _Because I know you're desperate enough to believe anything."_

She hated how right the mysterious servant was. Not only had he completely floored her with his reveal, but he had also read her as well as anyone possibly could have. It was unnerving and borderline frightening. Her brain was practically screaming out at her that this was all just some dangerous ploy and that she should be smarter than this, but the fact still remained.

She  _was_  desperate.

So here she was, continuing her search and hoping she wasn't putting everything in her life in jeopardy.

She got to the end of the winding staircase and made her way through the cold, dark row of cells. The guard standing watch at the front of the dungeons was fast asleep in a chair against the wall and she huffed at the sight. Still, she probably shouldn't blame him too much. With the way the Amestrians were, she figured there weren't usually that many prisoners down here to guard.

She walked all the way to the end of the row, her dark cloak shielding most of her from view, until her eyes fell upon her target, sitting calmly in her cell and watching her approach.

"Ah, the Queen of Aerugo. I was wondering when you would finally come down to visit me," the old woman spoke in a self-assured tone, even as Riza stood tall and proud on the other side of the iron bars.

The queen's voice was no-nonsense as she began. She wasn't in the mood for anyone's games. "I have a few questions for you."

The woman smirked at that. "Just a few?"

Riza's gaze hardened as she tried to distract herself from the depth of the woman's distinctly violet eyes. "From you, yes."

Spreading her hands out in an inviting gesture, the Homunculi woman replied. "Fire away, Your Majesty."

"Where is your tattoo?"

Revealing her chipped and yellow teeth, the older woman smiled slyly at the question and moved to the collar of her ragged clothes, pulling them down so the queen could see the distinct tattoo displayed proudly in the center of her chest. "Fascinating, isn't it? It's an Ouroboros. An old alchemical figure that we took on as our own. We're a very mystical people, you see. And alchemy is a very mystical science. Where I grew up, you saw someone with this tattoo, you saw a friend."

"I see," Riza replied, observing the shape of the tattoo that was identical to the one the servant wore, though in a slightly different location. "Why is yours there? The one I saw was on the right shoulder blade."

"I like it right here. Makes it easier for me to show it off. You'll need one just like it if you're going where I think you're going."

Looking to the side to double check they were alone, Riza answered. "Yes, that's what his instructions said. Were you the one who sent that servant to come talk to me?"

Smiling knowingly, the older woman shook her head. "No, that wasn't me. But I know who did."

"Alright then, I have one more question for you." Riza paused and fixed the full power of her stare on the woman, who didn't look to be intimidated at all. It was like she knew exactly what the queen was going to say. "How confident are you that everything you say is true, and that I'm going to take it as such?"

At this, the woman's gaze became glassed over and far off. She looked to be having her own internal debate before she asked in a calm voice, "Can I borrow one of your knives?"

Riza's eyes widened fractionally and she was immediately on her guard, wondering how this old commoner knew she was armed with knives...and just what she was planning to do with one.

"Don't worry...it's not for you."

Again Riza was shocked at how well these people could read her. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she still, against her better judgement, reached underneath her cloak to one of her sleeves, pulled out the small throwing knife, and handed it through the bars to the prisoner.

She then watched as the older woman placed the tip of the blade right in the middle of her tattoo, her gaze confident and self-assured.

Riza eyed her warily, but she still scoffed and shook her head. "The life of one old commoner isn't much to place such confidence on."

Here, the woman's smile turned deadly and...strangely uncharacteristic. Her violet eyes lit up as she answered in a low and sultry voice that was completely different from the dry, cracked tone she had been using up to this point. "And what makes you believe I'm  _just_  a commoner."

As the queen watched with wide eyes, the woman temporarily set aside the knife, and began taking off the many layers of tattered clothes, revealing a simple, black velvet dress underneath. She then reached for her old, pointed nose and actually began to remove it, along with her disgusting teeth and her matted gray hair. She worked meticulously, peeling away layer after layer of her disguise. The queen watched the old commoner Homunculi transform into a young and beautiful woman with long black hair that matched her violet eyes far better than her old mane.

"You know, we have a saying in my clan," the young woman spoke in her sultry voice as she picked the knife back up and placed it back on her newly revealed chest. Riza's eyes widened as she pressed the tip of the blade harder into her skin, enough for a small trail of blood to drip down onto her dress. "Looks can be deceiving."

With an unsteady gaze, Riza asked in a breathless voice. "W-who are you?"

The woman smiled, her pearly white teeth quite the contrast to what she displayed earlier. "My name is Solaris. I'm one of the leaders of the Homunculi. I told you earlier, Your Majesty. We are a very mystical people. We know a lot about the more  _magical_  secrets this kingdom holds. We know you're familiar with them as well."

Riza watched in a mixture of terror and awe as the small cut on Solaris's chest slowly closed on its own, the blood that had been dripping down drying up completely. She had always heard legends of shape-shifters and magic workers, ones that could heal any wound and take on any disguise. She'd always just thought of them as a myth, explained far better by science and logic, just like she had resigned herself to think of the vision she had in the pond, right around this time a year ago, when she had spoken to her dead mother. She had begun to give up hope that it was anything more than an oxygen-deprived hallucination.

Perhaps she had been wrong.

"I-Impossible," she finally spoke in a small voice.

Solaris smiled. "You've seen the work of the ones far beyond. You've been in the pond. You've already seen the impossible." Solaris's violet eyes met Riza's hazel and the queen felt as though they were boring into her very soul. Taking the dagger and turning it the other way to hand back to the queen, Solaris added in a self-assured tone. "Why stop your searching now?"

* * *

The dark tavern was beginning to fill with people and Envy sneered at the sight. Their long, blackish-green locks shook as they gazed around the room, searching for familiar faces. It wouldn't be much longer before Lust would return, as she had already sent out the message that she would be arriving sometime that evening, having overstayed her welcome in the Amestrian dungeons.

Envy scoffed. It really was far too easy to get in and out of that castle. The king, as always, put far too much trust in his people to have any measure of decent security. The only reason Lust had been in prison for as long as she had was so that she could wait for the inevitable.

Envy's sneer grew as they thought about it. Yes, it wouldn't be long now.

And, sure enough, as the monthly meeting of the Homunculi people was about to begin in earnest, Envy felt a tap on their shoulder. They turned to look at who had disturbed them and noticed one of the guards who stood watch outside their hidden meeting place, bouncing eagerly from foot to foot. The man's smile grew as he answered Envy's unasked question.

"We have a visitor."

Getting up from their spot at one of the long tables with a smirk, Envy swaggered down the hallway to the secret entrance. They swung aside the door and was met with a very welcomed sight.

A woman, completely covered by a dark cloak aside from her uncertain face, was waiting for them, nervously looking around to make sure she wasn't being watched. Envy placed a hand on their hip and tilted their head.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Y-yes," the woman replied, trying to keep eye contact, but clearly too uncertain to maintain it. "My name is Elizabeth. I was told to come here to meet with someone named King."

Envy smirked again. "Prove yourself," they ordered.

At this, the woman's eyes darted back to their own and, with much more confidence than she had been displaying previously, pulled aside the top collar of her cloak to reveal her right shoulder blade, where an Ouroboros symbol had been drawn in ink, as per her instructions.

Envy's eyes turned devious. "Excellent, right this way, Elizabeth."

The woman seemed to have a moment of hesitation as she stepped through the doorstep, but eventually followed Envy through the gathering crowd of people mingling together. They could notice that her eyes were darting around, taking in the various sights and sounds. The pair got a couple odd looks, but, for the most part, everyone left them alone.

" _Where I grew up, you saw someone with this tattoo, you saw a friend."_

They finally managed to make their way through the room into a dimly lit back hallway. Envy led the woman all the way to the end where a single door stood slightly ajar, awaiting them ominously.

Envy turned back to her and nodded toward the light streaming from the room. "King's in there. And he's been dying to meet you."

They watched as the woman's hazel eyes widened and she carefully looked through the doorway. Eventually, she took a deep breath and entered the room, Envy following in behind her.

They watched as she got her first glimpse at the man sitting calmly in the center of the room, his deceptively sweet smile plastered on his face as his head popped up from his work and he acknowledged the pair.

"Ah, you must be Elizabeth. I was told you would be coming. Please, have a seat. We always welcome newcomers to our meetings."

The woman still looked unsure of what to make of the entire situation, but she finally sat in the seat opposite King. Envy watched as the man set down his work and gave her his full attention.

"Now, I was told by a friend of ours that you had some questions for us. You need not be shy, hopefully we can help you get some answers."

Finally finding her voice, the woman warily asked, "They introduced you as King. Are you the leader here?"

The man's genial smile grew at this. "In some ways, I am. But please, you don't need to call me that. It's an old nickname that stuck around here, but I don't much care for it."

Envy crossed their arms and smiled sadistically as they stood in the corner and watched the scene unfold. Now the fun would begin.

"You can call me by my family name...Bradley."


End file.
